Hook, Line and Sinker
by Stripedblur
Summary: When Michael and his typhlosion, Solstice, win a trip for two on a luxury cruise, they quickly learn that the other passengers don't approve of their relationship...
1. Prologue

Prologue

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Foreword: Hello! And welcome to my new Pokemon fan fiction! I plan for this story to have around 10 chapters (including this). That is, of course, subject to change. Not really being one for schedules, I will try and upload every week so keep checking back!

NOTE: The actual story doesn't start until the third chapter but the first two are recommended!

All reviews are extremely appreciated! Without further adue,

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"Wake up, honey! Today's the day! You don't want to be late, do you?"

Michael shot out of his small bed. He ran to his window and pulled the curtains aside. The morning sun's rays poured into the dark room. The light revealed his poster-strewn wall. Each displaying famous battles, tactics and maps of every region, including his own, the Belvine region. Half undressing, half running; he made his way to his closet. He threw the wooden doors open, nearly knocking them off their hinges.

_Okay. Big day. I need cool clothes. Pokemon trainer clothes._

He grabbed his favorite t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He threw on his green shirt with a pokeball on the front with one hand and put his jeans on with the other.

_One last touch..._

He reached under his bed and pulled out a black backpack signed by the pokemon league champion, Richard Holts. After throwing it onto his back, Michael glanced at the clock. His heart leapt into his throat

_7:50am...that means I have...10 Minutes?!_

After quickly patting down his brown mess of hair into a slightly neater version, Michael shot out of his room. He lives in a small cottage with his mother, Janice. With one bathroom, living room, kitchen and two bedrooms, it was far from special. After his father went to work for a large company in the Hoenn region, he gave possession of their vacation villa in Colinston City to Janice. Colinston was a small sea town known for its abundant goldeen population.

Michael walked into the small living room. The smell of pancakes dominated the room. A sitcom was quietly playing on the tv.

"That was fast, _birthday boy_" His mother said, winking "It's hard to believe my little boy is 10 today!" she placed a plate of pancakes on the kitchen counter.

"Sorry mom, but the birthday breakfast is gonna have to wait! Today is the day I can start my journey as a Pokemon trainer!" Michael explained, grabbing his shoes from a small shoe rack next to the door.

"Oh okay! Good luck!" Janice called to her son, just before he disappeared out of the front door.

A faint "Won't need it!" came from outside as Michael ran to the local gym.

•••

The strong smell of fish reached Michael's nose, carried by the powerful winds from the bay. Various flying Pokemon lingered in the clear sky and over the water, waiting to catch a breakfast of their own. The thought made his stomach grumble.

_Not now. Too important. I have to get there first._

Despite how early it was, local fishermen idly walked along the streets, chatting about current events and recent catches. Many of which Michael knew. He stayed focused on the task at hand, getting to the gym before anyone else. A new gym leader stepped up to take John's place after he suffered a humiliating battle loss.

_What was her name again...Chelsea? No that can't be right._

The new gym leader started a program, providing new trainers with a pokemon companion. The first day of the program happened to also be on Michael's 10th birthday. The familiar red roof of the local gym appeared above the roofs of local shops and businesses.

"Where ya to in such a hurry, Mike?" A local fishing legend, Sam, asked.

"I'm getting my first Pokemon!" Michael exclaimed, stopping briefly to talk to him.

"Well what in god's name are ya doing talkin' to the likes of me?! Go!" He cheered heartily, pushing Mike along with his large hands.

Michael dashed around a corner and the gym entrance came into view.

_Nobody's here! Perfect!_

Mike's joy was quickly crushed as the new gym leader came outside to lock the large glass doors. He ran over to investigate.

"Hey! What's going on?! Why are you locking it?! I don't have my Pokemon yet!" Michael blurted out, still out of breath from running.

"Sorry kid, didn't you get the newsletter?" She said, pity dripping from her words. "The gym opened an hour earlier than usual, due to large amount of people wanting a Pokemon."

Michael's mouth hung open. The words finally sinking in.

"I guess you have to wait another few months, when we get more Pokemon."

"Months?! But I need one now!" Michael explained, still trying to remember her name.

"Sorry, better luck next time, kid. You might want to get inside, believe it or not there's supposed to be a storm rolling through soon." She said patting his back with one hand and gesturing to the sky with the other.

•••

Michael sighed, walking down the suddenly abandoned streets of Colinston City. Dark clouds began forming, blotting out the once blue sky. Mike didn't care. He could be attacked by a school of sharpedo and wouldn't care.

_A few months?! Shes gotta be joking! I can't wait that long! I need a Pokemon now!_

Michael stopped in mid-step.

_I could catch one on my own. How hard could it be? I mean, you just throw a pokeball and voila!_

His frown turned into a cocky smirk at the idea. He looked over at the nearby PokeMart. A spinning blue sign on top of a large pole indicated that it was still open. He checked his pocket for money.

_$20. That should be enough._

He walked into the small building. Smooth jazz was quietly playing from a portable radio behind the counter. The store clerk, Robert perked up at the sound of an entering costumer. He was pretty scrawny for his age and had small goatee awkwardly growing from his chin.

"Oh! Hey, Mike. What's up? You get that Pokemon?" He asked, returning to his slouched position.

"Yeah I chose...a sharpedo." Michael responded, grabbing a pokeball from the shelf.

"Pretty badass. Here's a tip, always keep it fed, my friend had one and forgot to feed her. Didn't end well." He replied, pulling out a phone displaying a picture of a deformed hand, covered in teeth marks..

"That's messed up," Michael said, pushing the phone away "Just buying this". He placed the pokeball on the counter along with $15.

"Good luck, little man." Robert said, returning to his magazine after lazily tossing the money into the cash register.

•••

The temperature outside had dropped since Michael had last left it. The clouds grew darker.

_It'll probably rain soon..._

He quickly dismissed the thought.

_Catching a Pokemon won't take that long, I'll be home for dinner._

He began running towards route 74, just outside of the town. The route was no more than a single path surrounded by forest, stretching to the next town.

When Michael arrived at the town boundaries, queer drops of rain began falling. The winding path stretched on into the distance and out of view, behind the tall redwood tree line. The forest was blanketed in darkness from the thick leaf canopy and the clouds.

_I guess the forest is as good a place as any to start._

He wandered into the dark wooded area. When his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, he could see the familiarly endless rows of sky-piercing redwood trees. He cautiously wandered deeper into the forest for a few minutes. The crack of a twig broke Michael's train of thought. A quiet growling suddenly came from every direction at once.

_Oh crap oh crap oh crap_

A loud howling erupted from the surrounding darkness. Distant Pokemon joined the grim choir. They sounded to be all around him. Closing his eyes, Michael ran in the direction he presumed was towards the town. After a minute of sprinting aimlessly, he realized that he was wrong. The growling began catching up with him.

_Oh crap oh crap oh crap_

He prepared to yell at the top of his lungs for help but decided against it, as it would reveal where he was to not only nearby people, but whatever was chasing him. He began running once again, hoping to fall upon familiar territory. He often crept into the forest with his friends, but had never been ventured this far. Suddenly the ground under his foot disappeared. Michael fell down a steep slope for what seemed like minutes, barely preventing his head from smashing into the tree trunks. When his painful decent ended, he tried standing up. A sharp pain shot up his leg, sending him crashing towards the ground in a cloud of dust. An all too familiar growling grew louder, this time directly to his right. He felt around the ground, searching for his recently acquired and dropped pokeball. His hand finally fell on the ball. He clutched it tightly in his hand and threw it towards the growling. After a moment of silence, a bright red light exploded into the air, illuminating the surroundings.

_Oh shit._

A large pack of mightyena stood before him, each showing it's sharp teeth. The Pokemon nearest to the pokeball erupted into a red beam and disappeared into the small red and white ball. Darkness quickly fell upon the scene once again. This time, there was no growling. The quiet sound of a pokeball wiggling around dominated all others.

_One, two, thr-_

Michael's heart jumped into his throat as a blinding light exploded from the ball. A mightyena was sent flying into a tree with a yelp and the sickening snap of bones as the capture failed.

The deadly symphony of growling returned, louder than ever. Suddenly a small ball of orange light flew through the sky towards the scene. It collided with the pack of vicious Pokemon, sending most flying into a wall.

_What the-?!_

A small silhouette of a Pokemon leapt between Michael and the injured mightyena. A large blast of fire erupted from it's mouth. Orange light bounced off of the tall trees, revealing it's source to be a cyndaquil. The mightyena retreated from the area, some limping, most tending to burns. After a moment of silence, the small fire Pokemon turned to Michael, shooting small flames from it's back.

"Thanks little guy, you saved me!" Michael said, holding out his hand to the cyndaquil, half expecting it to reply with a modest "It was nothing.". Suddenly it leapt into Michael's chest, knocking him over. He had never been this close to a fire Pokemon before.

"Cyndaquil?! Yo! Where'd ya get to? Hello?" A voice called out from on top of the slope.

_That must be this little guy's trainer..._

"Yeah we're down here!" Michael yelled back. A minute later, the trainer joined them at the bottom of the hill.

"So that's where ya went, had me worried sick!" He said, addressing the cyndaquil "The name's Jordan." He reached out his hand. Michael hesitantly shook it, having always been taught to never trust strangers. The man looked to be in his early 20s, slender but not scrawny. He wore a simple polo. It was difficult to discern the color, being as he was illuminated by the cyndaquil's orange back flames.

"I don't know what got into her, she's only a recent addition to my team but it sure sounded like you needed help, you alright?" Jordan said, helping Michael up.

"Yeah just some mightyena, no biggy." Michael replied nonchalantly.

"Do you have a Pokemon with you?"

"Well, not exactly" Michael explained "I came out here to catch one but fell down this ridge."

"Okay, here's a flashlight." Jordan reached into his bag and pulled out a small flashlight. He handed it to Michael after testing it. He began reaching for his cyndaquil. The small fire Pokemon, which had been quiet until now, hid further into Michael's arms. Jordan stood up straight, fixing his collar.

"Tell ya what, you keep her" He said, smiling.

"What?! Really?" Michael exclaimed loudly, forgetting about the echo bouncing off the trees.

"Yeah! She likes you more by the looks of it." He explained, making Michael blush a bit "And what kind of pokemon trainer would I be to keep you two apart."

"T-thanks" Michael blurted out.

"No problem, just stay out of trouble, got it?" Jordan chimed, pulling out another flashlight and a pokeball from his bag. He tossed the red and white ball at Michael, who caught it with ease.

"Well, maybe we'll meet again. Until then, ciao!" He said, starting to walk back up the ridge.

_Wow my own Pokemon! Wait a minute..._

"Hey mister! What's her name?" Michael called up to Jordan.

"Solstice!" He responded, without turning around.

_Solstice..._

"Well, solstice." Michael said to the cyndaquil, making it perk up "Looks like we got a lot of work ahead of us!"

••••••••••••••••••••

I hope you enjoyed the "first chapter" of Hook, Line and Sinker. I plan for all chapters to be about as long as this one. Of course this may vary depending on what's going on in my life. All reviews are appreciated! Stay tuned for the next part, "One Day"!

-StripedBlur


	2. One Day

One Day

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"Flamethrower!" Michael yelled into the small, crudely made pokemon arena. A blast of fire erupted from his typhlosion's mouth, barely grazing the opponent's jolteon. The fire continued past the target and splashed across the wall of the empty pool they were fighting in. The orange light danced across the evergreen trees surrounding the fenced-in arena and the old, abandoned house the it was set up behind. The jolteon sped towards the typhlosion after his trainer commanded him to.

"Wait for it, Solstice!" Michael called into the arena. The typhlosion nodded and stood still, the jolteon still charging at a lightning pace.

"Now!" Michael yelled. Flames plumed out of the fire pokemon's back as it narrowly dodged the attack. The rapidly approaching pokemon crashed head-first into a wall, stunning it.

"Finish him off" Michael called to his pokemon. The typhlosion fired a blast of flames into the jolteon, rendering it unconscious.

"Bastard! The same god damn trick every time!" Michael's opponent, Rick blurted before returning the electric pokemon to it's pokeball.

"Well maybe if you didn't do the same attack every time, I wouldn't do the same counter-attack every time" Solstice replied, climbing out of the pool, joining Michael.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Save it for someone who gives a damn." He said, placing the pokeball into his bag to be healed. "And I swear to god if you two high five again, I'll kill ya both."

Michael and Solstice slowly lifted their hands.

"Don't." Rick warned, carefully watching them. Their hands connected in a slow motion high-five. They made quiet explosion sounds and looked directly at their friend, Rick.

"I don't know why I even fight you guys" Rick said, walking towards the pool gate. "You coming to the pokecenter? I gotta heal Bolt. We have a big day tomorrow that he needs to be, ya know, conscious for."

Michael glanced at Solstice, shrugging.

"Yeah sure we'll tag along. We don't have much else to do anyway." Solstice replied, reducing her back flames to a simmer.

"Cool."

•••

"So, can you explain to me how you can talk again?" Rick asked Solstice, in between bites of a granola bar.

"Well when I was a quilava, I started catching on to words and phrases Mike used a lot." She replied, in between bites of her own.

"Like what?"

"The basics. Fuck, shit, asshole, how did you beat me? Why am I so bad at this?" She answered, laughing.

"Haha, I don't doubt it for a second." He said, returning his focus to the snack "And then he paid for the English lessons, right?"

"Yep" The typhlosion replied, idly staring into clear night sky. "I can barely remember how to do the whole Pokémon cry thing anymore."

"Really? I thought it'd be programmed into your brain."

"Nope." She said clearing her throat, followed by an awkward, raspy typhlosion cry.

"Bahaha that was awful" Michael laughed, catching up to the chatting duo.

"Yeah yeah I know." Solstice said, scratching the back of her paw. "Who was on the phone?"

"Oh that was Alice, she pushed her pidgeotto, Jamie, too hard again and they're at the pokecenter." Michael replied, slipping his cellphone into his bag.

"That's the third time this week! What is she training so hard for, anyway?" Solstice asked, biting into her peanut butter granola bar for the last time.

"Dunno, I haven't managed to get a solid answer out of her yet..." Mike responded, his voice trailing off.

They walked down the rest of the small stone path in silence. Crickets played their usual song from the surrounding woods. A murkrow flew off of a branch, trying to avoid the three potential threats. A full moon hung in the sky, directly above them, lighting up the path. A warm summer breeze blew above the tree tops, sending some premature autumn leaves spiraling towards the ground. Soon the familiar glimmering lights of Silverdam City appeared at the end of the path, welcoming the trio home. The streets were almost completely empty for such a large city when they arrived. The occasional group of loud preteens came and passed. Each admiring the trainers and Solstice.

"It's Friday and this city is dead as hell. Even for Silverdam. Did we miss the apocalypse or something?" Rick said, as they arrived at an intersection. A single car was waiting for the traffic light to turn green. They crossed the crosswalk and continued towards the pokecenter.

"Oh! I bet everyone is at that big pokemon tournament we couldn't get tickets to..." Michael said, lazily slipping his hands into his hoodie's pockets. He quickly changed his train of thought to something less depressing.

_Solstice's fur looks softer than usual. I wonder if she's been using my shampoo again..._

"Don't remind me." Solstice said, rolling her eyes.

_Huh, she has blue eyes...I guess I never noticed it before. I wonder if that's uncommon for fire type pokemon..._

"Uuuh. Mike? Earth to Michael?" Solstice asked, breaking his train of thought. "You just started staring at me, you okay?"

"Oh, yeah I'm fine. I was just admir- thinking about something..." Michael replied through an awkward laugh.

They spent the rest of the trip in silence, each dreaming about the pokemon tournament they missed out on.

Soon the Silverdam Pokemon Center appeared as they turned around a corner. It was larger than most centers being built in such a large city. A few cars were parked out front, likely trainers from the nearby tournament. The three friends looked both ways down the road in unison, an old habit they adapted from living in a usually busy city like Silverdam. As they suspected, the length of the road lacked any notion of life.

The large glass doors slid open as they approached, grabbing the attention of a few people inside. They returned back to their quiet conversations and magazines after assessing the new arrivals. A cool breeze from the center's A/C greeted them.

_Ah that's nice..._

"Well it's about bloody time!" Michael's friend, Alice exclaimed through her thick English accent. She too, was 18, standing a little shorter than Michael. She had short brown hair that fell a little past her ears, held in place by a single wing-shaped hair clip. "What the hell took you two so long? I've been stuck here for an hour!" Alice asked, pointing to Michael and Solstice. She stood up from a bench and walked over to the trio "And who the hell is this?" She added, nodding at Rick.

"Rick. You guys met at that party last week. Remember? He spilt some cola on you and you hit him." Michael explained, recalling the previous week.

"Not ringing any bells" Alice shrugged, returning to her seat.

"Whatever, I'll just heal Bolt and get outta here." Rick added, walking to the nurse behind the round counter. Michael and Solstice joined Alice on the cushioned bench.

"So you said Jamie got hurt? Is she okay?" Solstice asked, looking around the pokemon center for her friend.

"Yeah we were training and her wing started hurting. And a flying pokemon with a damaged wing is as about as useless as a magikarp." She explained, rolling her eyes. "She's in the back now getting checked out. I wasn't allowed in there because they said I'm not pleasant to be around. Assholes."

Solstice and Michael shared a smirk and quickly returned to their normal composures in fear of being seen by Alice.

The three sat in silence for a bit, each riding seperate trains of thought.

Michael's Thoughts:

_I wonder if Solstice noticed that I was staring at her eyes earlier...I hope not. I don't want her thinking I'm weird..._

Solstice Thoughts:

_I wonder why Michael was staring at my eyes earlier...it was kinda weird..._

Alice Thoughts:

_What the hell do they mean "not pleasant". I'm the most pleasant fucking person in here. Fuck them._

"The doctor will speak to you now, Alice." A nurse chimed from a pair of swinging doors, leading into the back of the center.

"You guys coming?" Alice asked, getting up from her seat.

"No thanks, we'll stay here" Solstice said, waving Alice through the doors.

"Whatever, suit yourself." She added, before disappearing out of view.

Michael and Solstice sat on the bench quietly for awhile, before Michael stood up.

"Where are you going?" Solstice asked quickly, trying not to sound worried.

"Just getting some food from the vending machine, want anything?" Michael answered reassuringly, trying not to sound patronizing.

"Yeah actually, some barbecue chips. Thanks" She requested.

Michael returned shortly after with a small bag labelled "BBQ chips!".

"Only one? Are you not having anything?" Solstice asked.

"Left my wallet at home and only had enough for one." He explained, smiling. "Here." He handed her the bag of chips and returned to his seat, next to the typhlosion.

"Oh...thanks..." Solstice replied, moving down the bench to make room for Michael.

"You know, you don't have to move that far away." Michael said jokingly. "I'm not that fat, am I?"

"Of course not!" Solstice exclaimed, moving back towards her original spot, directly next to Michael.

They sat like this for a few moments.

"Chip?" She asked, holding the bag open.

"Yeah thanks" He said, happily reaching into the bag to grab a chip. He bit into the small snack, remembering how much he enjoyed BBQ chips. He passively reached into the bag again to grab another, this time his hand grabbed something else. He instinctively pulled it out to investigate. He was holding Solstice's paw in his own.

_...?!_

Her back flames plumed out, splashing out against the wall, grazing Michael's back.

"Ow shit shit shit!" Michael yelled, jumping up from the bench, hesitantly letting go of Solstice's hand. His back burned when he tried to rub it. A large black patch scarred his green t-shirt.

"Oh my god I'm so so sorry!" Solstice exclaimed, also standing up from the bench "We need an ice pack or something!". A nurse jumped out of seemingly nowhere with a small blue bag, with the word ICE on it. She gave it to Michael, who quickly placed it against his back, sighing deeply.

"Thanks." He said to the nurse, before she disappeared into the back room. She smiled and nodded, returning to her previous task. Michael sat back down, still holding the ice pack against the burn. Solstice joined him, sitting with her back turned away.

"I'm sorry...I don't know what came over me..." She said, a deep blush appearing through her fur.

"Don't be" Michael replied, waving his free hand. "It wasn't your fault. And it was bound to happen eventually...". He replied, quickly reflecting upon his last sentence, half worried it was misinterpreted.

"Yeah these things are hard to control some times..." She said, also worrying wether her last sentence would be misinterpreted.

"What the hell happened out here?" Alice interrupted, walking out of the back room with her pidgeotto, Jamie, following. One of her wings were bandaged up and being held in place by a sling.

"Oh, well we got a bag of chips and I reached..." Michael began to explain. His voice quickly trailed off. He glanced at Solstice, who simply shrugged. "Well it's a long story. What happened with Jamie?"

"Good job dodging the question, jackass" Alice replied, rolling her eyes. "Anyways Jamie broke her wing and won't be able to train for another week. So that's good." She added, sarcasm dripping from her words. Jamie cringed as far as her bandaged wing would allow, earning Solstice's and Michael's pity. Even an old woman nearby glumly looked at the pair.

"Here, rest for a bit" Alice said, returning the pidgeotto to her ball. "I guess I'll just train another pokemon..."

"What are you training so hard for anyways?" Michael asked, "You're pushing Jamie like the world's last pokemon battle was tomorrow."

"You wanna know why?" She responded, sitting down between Michael and Solstice. "Ever since I caught Jamie, I wanted to be the best pokemon trainer to ever come out of Riverwood. I want to take the gym challenge and maybe even take on the elite four. And the only thing standing between me and that, is a train ticket and Jamie's inability to evolve."

Michael and Solstice were relieved that the pidgeotto was in a pokeball and unable to hear this.

"Well keep trying. You two will get there one day, I have no doubt about that. But just remember to have a little fun along the way." Solstice said, smiling reassuringly.

"Okay, well we better be going. It's getting pretty late. See ya later, Alice." Michael said, after looking at his watch and realizing how early in the morning it was. On their way out of the pokecenter, Michael and Solstice were greeted with a warm breeze, making them shudder. The entire walk back to their apartment was spent mentally debated wether to mention what happened earlier. They both decided against it.

_Maybe one day..._

••••••••••••

I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter into the main storyline! There is a lot more to come, I assure you. Due to a upcoming skiing trip, I had to make this chapter a little shorter than I had wanted. The next chapter won't be, however. All reviews are appreciated! Stay tuned for the next chapter, "I.C Weiner"


	3. IC Wiener

I.C. Weiner  
••••••••••••••••

A bright light flickered on, greeting Michael and Solstice as they entered their apartment.  
"I'm glad Jamie is okay. I hope they sort out their differences soon. I hate to see them like this." Solstice said, taking off her orange fire-proof scarf and placing it on a small hook next to the door.  
"No kidding. I know somewhere in that black abyss of a heart, she has the ability to have a friendship with someone" He said, recalling the events that happened in the Pokemon center the previous night.  
They lived in a small apartment on the 5th floor with 1 bedroom, 1 living room, and 1 kitchen. Michael often slept in the bedroom while Solstice slept on the couch. She occasionally slept at the foot of the bed without Michael knowing as a force of old habit from when she was a quilava. Michael hit a switch, lighting the entire apartment up. He walked into the kitchen.  
"You know...we never finished our game." Solstice said slyly, sitting on the couch.  
"Way ahead of you." Michael replied, pulling out two wine glasses and a bottle of the cheapest, nastiest wine they could find. "I believe it was my turn last time."  
"Bring it on."

•••

"I can't believe I'm about to do this" Michael said, slowly raising an old piece of Pokéfood to his mouth.  
"Just eat it, wimp." Solstice said, sitting on the edge of the couch, eagerly watching her training.  
"Is it too late to choose truth?" Michael asked, desperately trying to find a way out of eating the chunk of artificial food.  
"Oh yeah." Solstice replied, laughing. "Maybe next time you won't make me eat toffee, dick."  
"Fine it's no big deal. You can eat it, I can eat it." Michael, closing his eyes.  
"Ha! Like I'd eat that shit. It's practically a little ball of poison." Solstice chuckled, tossing a cracker into her mouth, ignoring the dirty look from Michael.  
"Okay whatever i'll just make it quick." He said, before hesitantly eating the small ball of food. He gagged a little bit as the taste hit his tongue, making Solstice burst out laughing. Michael grabbed a glass of water after managing to swallow the chunk of Pokéfood. He chugged the water and gasped for air.  
"Alright, your turn." Michael grinned, joining his typhlosion on the couch. "Truth or dare."  
"Well, since I'm not a wimp like you, dare." Solstice replied, eating another cracker.  
"Good choice" He said, trying to think of a dare. "I dare you to...spend a minute in your pokeball without trying to get out."  
"Easy." Solstice replied, rolling her eyes. Michael stood up an walked over to a closet. After a few moments of searching through a bag, he pulled out a pokeball. Solstice tensed up a bit at the sight of it. She had always been claustrophobic and hated being in a pokeball. She relaxed a bit, not wanting to look scared.  
"Okay, you ready?" Michael asked with a stupid grin still on his face.  
"Yeah, just give it to me. I don't want you throwing it at me again." Solstice said, grabbing the pokeball from Michael. She hesitantly held it against her head and flipped Michael off. A flash of bright light illuminated the room. When Michael opened his eyes, a pokeball was sitting in Solstice's place. He picked it up and held it towards a furniture-free area in the small living room.

_Any moment now she'll pop out, gasping for air and needing a drink of water..._

Michael knew that Solstice was claustrophobic, so her pokeball never got put into use.  
After 30 seconds passed, Michael grew worried.

_She hasn't been in there this long before. Maybe she's stuck. Can pokeballs do that if they don't get used?_

Michael picked up the pokeball, and tossed it into the air. It anticlimactically fell to the ground with a weighted thud.

_What the hell?!_

He ran over to the ball and threw it into the air once again, trying to put more spin on it. Once again it uneventfully fell onto the carpet.  
Starting to panic, Michael ran into the kitchen and grabbed a knife.  
"I'll get you out of there!" Michael called to the pokeball, half expecting it to respond. He kneeled next to pokeball and forced the knife into the crack. He slowly pried it open. Suddenly the lid popped open.

_What?!_

He dropped the empty ball on the ground, looking around the room for Solstice. To his dismay, he still sat alone in the middle of the floor. He tossed the knife aside, not knowing what to do. The tightness in his chest grew as quickly as his frustration.

_What if it's my fault? Are pokemon not allowed to use pokéballs on themselves?!_

Michael stood up and began pacing around the apartment, trying to think of his next move. He ended up sitting on the couch. The TV was displaying a scene of two friends going about their crazy antics. He grabbed a remote and switched it off. The took a deep breath, trying to calm himself as to think rationally. He glanced over at the pokeball again. Sure enough, it sat on the floor, hanging open. Michael stood up and grabbed it. He closed the device with ease, and threw it into the air once again. It fell to the ground for a 3rd time. He stubbornly picked it up once more and tossed it into the air, refusing to believe that Solstice wouldn't spring out in a flash of red light.  
"Go! Solstice!" He called, not sure if it was voice activated.  
It wasn't.  
After watching it fall to the ground again, he picked it up. Michael threw directly it at the floor this time.  
"YOU'RE NOT LEAVING ME LIKE THIS! I NEED YOU!" He yelled into the empty apartment. A canine pokemon responded to the noise from another apartment in a fit of barking. Luckily, most people were out on a Saturday night. The ball smashed against the kitchen floor, shattering into multiple pieces, each flying across the room. Michael's heart stopped. He ran over and began picking up the shards.

_This can't be happening. No no no no no._

He started trying to piece the pokeball back together, like a jig-saw puzzle with a few too many pieces missing. He quickly gave up, letting the glass-like shards fall onto the floor.  
"Mike. I'm right here." A familiar voice called from the living room, making Michael jump.

_Solstice?!_

"Solstice?!" Michael asked, bolting up from the kitchen floor. Sure enough, the typhlosion was standing in the middle of room, awkwardly waving to her shocked trainer. Michael sprinted at the pokemon and tackled her onto the ground in a hug.  
"Woah, are you okay?" Solstice coughed out after gathering her breath.  
"I thought I'd lost you forever!" Michael explained, relieved to see her again.  
"Sorry, I didn't know you cared that much." Solstice said, pushing Michael off. They stood up and sat down on the couch.  
"To be honest I got scared and hid in the bedroom while the pokeball tried to catch me," She explained, "Then I was going to wait a minute and pretend to appear again so I wouldn't have to drink that awful wine."  
Michael sat there with his mouth hanging open, feeling stupid. He realized what he had done while trying to "save" her from the pokeball.  
"So you...saw all of that?" Michael said, blushing. Solstice nodded and scratched the back of paw, also blushing.  
"I didn't think you'd act that way." She explained, smiling.  
"Well yeah, I thought I killed you. I'd be a murderer!" Michael laughed, before realizing what he had just said.  
"Oh. Yeah." Solstice said, her smile fading as quickly as the fire on her back. "That makes sense."  
"No. That isn't why I acted the way I did." Michael said, trying to salvage the conversation, "I couldn't stand the idea of losing you. So I kind of smashed your pokeball trying to get you out."  
Solstice's ears perked up uncontrollably, despite her best efforts.  
"You mean a lot to me. More than you know..." Michael explained, his words quickly trailing off. Solstice's back flames plumed out. A deep blush appeared through her fur.  
"You mean a lot to me too." Solstice said quietly, her words hanging in the air. They sat like this for a few moments before Michael broke the silence.  
"Solstice..." He began, "Do you want to-". His sentence was cut off by Solstice tackling him onto his back. Their eyes met for a brief second. After a moment of hesitation, Solstice kissed him.

_?!..._

The typhlosion's back flames exploded, orange light filled the room. She held the kiss for a few seconds before breaking apart. Michael laid on the couch, catching his breath as Solstice did the same. Both blushed heavily. They stayed like for a bit, not sure how to end it, or even if they wanted to. Solstice finally climbed off of her trainer, and sat on the couch. Michael did the same.  
"Woah." Michael blurted out, trying to break the ice.  
"Yeah..."  
"I was going to ask if you wanted to continue the game."  
"Oh."  
"But that was fine too!" Michael responded, failing to lighten the situation.  
"No, it was too sudden. I'm sorry."  
Solstice apologized.  
"Don't be. We've both had a lot to drink and I don't think we're in a good state to be making decisions." Michael explained, gesturing to the half empty bottle of cheap wine.  
"Your right. We'll talk about this in the morning." She agreed, "Until then, is that game offer still up?" She smirked, trying to take their minds off of what just happened.  
"You're on."

•••

"Well you better go catch it!" Michael blurted into the phone, before slamming it onto the base. The two burst out laughing at the prank call.  
"There, I did it. Your turn." Michael said, cocking an eyebrow. "Truth or dare?"  
"Truth." She replied, eating a cracker from a small plate, hoping it would somehow sober her up, not wanting a hangover in the morning.  
"Fine. How do the flames on your back work?" Michael asked, also eating a cracker for the same reason.  
"That's a terrible question" Solstice exclaimed punching him in the shoulder.  
"Okay okay. Have you ever cried while watching a movie?" Michael asked, smirking. Solstice rolled her eyes.  
"Yes." She answered, making Michael laugh.  
"What movie?" He asked, getting excited.  
"It's embarrassing." She said, hiding her face behind a cushion.  
"Well you should have chosen dare." He responded, still smirking.  
"Okay... 'Turkey Apocalypse: Cold Cut Comeback'." She whispered, hiding further into the pillow.  
"Bahahahahana!" Michael laughed, "Are you serious?! That movie was terrible!"  
"Yeah yeah yeah, laugh it up. You wouldn't understand the relationship between Commander Gobble and Sergeant Stuffing." She retorted, realizing how stupid the names were.  
"Okay, my turn." Michael said, wiping a tear from his cheek.  
"Truth or Dare" She asked, "And don't you dare say truth."  
"Fine. Dare." He said, eating another cracker.  
"Okay. Let me think of a good one." She replied deviously. Solstice looked at the television, hoping for inspiration. An announcement for a competition began playing.  
"Win a luxury cruise for two! Just call 1-800-6981!"  
"I dare you to enter that draw under the name, I.C Weiner!" She exclaimed, eating the last cracker on the plate.  
"Easy, toss the phone." He replied, gesturing to the telephone. Solstice obliged. After a few moments of entering the numbers on screen, he held the phone to his ear.  
"Yello!" He spoke into the phone, through a random thick western accent. Solstice fought back a laugh. "I'd like t' enter yer littla draw fer th' boat trip." He continued. Michael hung up the phone after giving a few details such as his name, the city he lived in and his age; all of which he lied about.  
"There, your turn." Michael said, tossing the phone back to Solstice.  
"Tell ya what, If you actually win this competition, I'll drink this entire bottle of 'wine'" She added, placing the phone back on the base.  
"Ha! Deal." Michael said, shaking her hand. She grabbed the remote and turned the volume up.  
"Okay! The lines are closed and it's time to randomly pick our winner!" The announcer said, excitedly. "And the winner of this luxury cruise for two is...'I.C. Wiener' from Slateport City!"  
"WHAT?!" Michael and Solstice yelled in unison. Michael jumped up from his seat and grabbed the bottle of "Grapes Lament" and handed it to Solstice.  
"I can't believe this." She said snatching it from his hands. Suddenly their phone rang. Michael bounced over to it and answered.  
"Yello?" He asked, putting the phone onto speaker.  
"Hi! We're just calling to congratulate you on winning the Luxury Cruise For Two Contest!" A woman spoke from the other line. Seeing a chance to get rid of the wine without having to drink it, she walked to the kitchen began quickly pouring it down the sink.  
"We'll just need the name of the person you'll be taking and we will e-mail your the rest of the instructions and details." The woman continued. The phone went quiet, while she waited for an answer. He hadn't thought of who to take, not actually thinking he was going to win. After a moment of hesitation he gave his answer.  
"Her name is, Solstice."  
The typhlosion dropped the wine bottle in the sink and turned around, looking surprised.  
"Okay, we'll send you the instructions soon, goodbye!" The woman said, before hanging up.  
"Your taking me?!" Solstice asked, abandoning her previous task to join Michael in the living room.  
"Well yeah, you've more than earned it." Michael explained, "And I'd like us to spend some more time together."  
Flames exploded from her back, forcing her to quickly pat them back down before Michael turned around from placing the phone back.  
"It sounds like it'll be a lot of fun!" Solstice said, smiling, "Thank you!"  
"Well consider this as my thank you for sticking by my side for so long."  
Solstice glanced at a clock, "We should probably get to sleep. It's pretty late."  
"I agree." Michael replied, turning off the tv. "Good night."  
"Night."

•••

Solstice stirred on the couch again, unable to get comfortable.

_Why did I kiss him? It was a stupid thing to do. What if I blew it for us..._

She tried to avoid these thoughts. Solstice sat up and yawned. She stood up from the couch, grabbing her blanket. After igniting her back flames for light, she walked to Michael's room. Dosing the fire, she crept into the darkness. Michael's snoring dominated all other sounds. A ray of moonlight slipped into the room from a window and provided Solstice with some visibility. She carefully crawled onto the end of his bed and curled in a ball. After pulling the blanket over herself, she sighed in content.  
"Good night" she whispered, half expecting him to respond.

Without Solstice knowing, the also restless Michael heard her enter and watched as she crawled on the bed, as she usually does. Being carefully to keep a steady pace of fake snoring, he closed his eyes.

_Good night, Solstice._

-  
I hope you enjoyed the 3rd installment of the story! This one was a little more serious than the last and had more character/plot development but I tried keep a light-hearted nature. If you enjoyed this kind of chapter and want to see more like it, let me know in the reviews! Stay tuned for the next chapter, "Now Boarding"

-StripedBlur


	4. Now Boarding

Now Boarding

••••••••••••••••••••••

"Toothbrushes" Michael called into the bedroom, reading a small checklist.

"Check." Solstice responded, finding the toothbrushes in a small bag on their bed.

"Toothpaste"

"Check."

"Clothes"

"Check."

"Backup clothes."

"We have everything, can we go? We'll be late." Solstice interrupted, joining her trainer in the living room, dragging two suitcases behind her.

"We'll be on the cruise for over a week and I want everything to go smoothly," Michael explained, getting up to put his shoes on. "We hardly get out of this apartment anymore."

"Fair enough." Solstice added, bringing the suitcases to the front door.

"Are you okay to carry those?" Michael asked when he finished putting his shoes on.

"Yeah I'll be fine," Solstice chimed, carrying the luggage into the small hallway, "You got the train tickets?"

"Yeah we're good" He answered, pulling them out of his pocket.

"Well then, lead the way." Solstice said, nodding towards the stairwell.

•••

"Okay," Michael said, thinking of another question to ask Solstice, "favorite movie?"

"Easy, Autumn's Wind." She answered, looking out of the taxi window.

"I loved that movie." Michael said, reminiscing about the recent blockbuster.

"You would," Solstice laughed, "it was a total chick-flick."

"Whatever, your turn." Michael snapped, also looking out of the window.

"What's your favorite movie?" Solstice asked, after a moment of thought.

"It must have taken you ages to think of that question." Michael replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Shut up and answer it."

"Fine," Michael answered, taking a moment to scan over the movies he recently watched in his head, "Probably Highway of The Dead". Solstice burst out laughing.

"What? It was a good movie!" Michael said, trying to defend the low-budget film.

"That was probably the worst movie I've ever watched!" She laughed, "Oh fucking no! A fucking blown tire! Fucking fuck!" She exclaimed, accurately reenacting a scene.

"They didn't say fuck that often!" He said defensively.

"Yes they did!" She replied, still laughing, "It was practical every other word."

"Whatever," Michael said, before having his sentence cut off by a speed bump, "What is your least favorite film?"

"Giant Aliens Vs. Not Giant Aliens." Solstice, shuddering at the thought of it.

"Does that actually exist?"

"Yeah, and it was awful." She said. Suddenly the taxi quickly began slowing down in the middle of the road. After a loud *beep* from the front of the car, it came to a complete stop.

"Hey, what gives?" Solstice asked, leaning forward.

"Oh, uuh, we're out of gas." He answered, still uneasy about a talking to a pokemon. "Looks like you're gonna to have walking the last few miles. It's just around that corner"

"Dammit, how long do we have before the train leaves?" Solstice asked, unclipping her seatbelt.

"15 minutes." Michael blurted out after checking the tickets.

"Oh shit."

The duo scrambled out of the car, grabbing their suitcases from the open car trunk. Solstice slammed it shut and dashed towards the sidewalk, narrowly avoiding a car. Michael joined her after hastily paying the driver. The sidewalk was crowded with other pedestrians, each taking a moment to glance at the two.

"C'mon we gotta hurry," Solstice called to her trainer, already running in the direction of the train station. Michael quickly caught up, being able to take longer strides with each step. They pushed through the sea of people, leaving a wake of confused pedestrians and dirty looks.

"Get out of our way!" Solstice yelled, sliding around a corner. A few people stood aside, making a small gap. A loud whistle blared over the usual city noise pollution, only making Michael and Solstice speed up. Soon the train station came into view above the crowd of pedestrians. Michael's chest began aching from the sudden physical strain. He glanced over at Solstice. She was still running as strongly as she had started. He returned his focus back to running through the crowds without injuring anyone, including himself. The large suitcase bounced behind him, somehow managing not to fall over.

The duo practically leapt up the stairs when they reached their destination. A huge locomotive stretched across the entire length of the station platform. Michael and Solstice were among of very few not on the train. An elderly couple sat on a nearby bench, one reading a newspaper, the other sleeping. Solstice ran over to the single box office.

"Is it too late to get on the train?" She blurted out, still catching her breath.

"Oh, lemme check." He replied, partially surprised to see someone, let alone a talking pokemon. He turned to small computer and typed something in. After a moment of painful silence, he turned back to the typhlosion. "You should be good! My friend will open that door for ya." He chimed happily, gesturing towards a door on the side of the train. Solstice and Michael walked over to it, sighing in relief. Suddenly the steel door swung open. A scrawny teenager stood in the doorway.

"Hurry up you two! The train's about to lea-" He said before having his sentence cut off by an ear-piercing whistle from the front of the platform. A large cloud of black smoke erupted from train as it lurched forward. The wheels slowly began turning as it began pulling out of the station.

"Hurry up!" The man yelled, holding out his hand. Solstice began running along side the train, dragging the suitcase behind her. She swung her arms around, launching her luggage into the entrance way. The man narrowly dodged it, still holding out his hand. Michael quickly joined her, preparing to also throw his bag. The train began speeding up. The two struggled to keep up with it. Solstice leapt into the train, knocking the man onto the floor. Michael kept running, unable to gather the strength to throw the bag. Seeing his struggle, Solstice hopped out of the train again, hitting the ground hard. Managing to keep her balance, she picked up Michael's bag from behind him. The edge of the platform was drawing closer as the train continued speeding up. Michael, free of the luggage, was able to jump through the door. Solstice whipped his bag in behind him. Her short legs began failing her. She fell behind, unable to keep up with the train's increasing speed. Her sprint slowed into a jog. A hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder from behind and she was quickly pulled into the train.

"Got'cha!" A woman said, closing another large steel door. Solstice looked up at her savior. She was a tall, slender woman in a suit, wearing a pair of black sunglasses and a gloves with a red 'B' on them.

"Now, where is your trainer?" She asked, leaning forward and adjusting her tie. Solstice backed up a bit at the sudden invasion of space.

"He's in the third carriage." Solstice responded, "Thanks for grabbing me."

The woman jumped a bit.

"Ah, you talk." She said, pushing her sunglasses back into place, "Interesting. I assume you can find your own way to him?"

"Yes I'll be fine." Solstice answered, "thanks again. see ya later I guess."

"Oh I'm sure you will." She said, smirking. The woman disappeared through a door into an empty carriage filled with beds.

_Weird..._

•••

"No! You have to go make sure she's okay!" Michael yelled into his pokégear, "I don't care if you're in the middle of a battle! Solstice could be in trouble!"

"Listen, idiot." Alice spoke on the other side of the video call. "I'm in the middle of a god damn championship battle and Jamie can't fly in circles forever."

"Fine, I'll just ask Rick to help." Michael replied, "thanks for nothing."

"Bite me." Alice snapped before disappearing off of the screen.

"Hey." Solstice chimed from behind the frantic trainer.

"Hang on woman, I'm trying to help my friend." He explained, typing something into his Pokégear. Solstice laughed quietly.

"She sounds important to you" Solstice said, partially disguising her voice.

"She means that world to me and I don't have a way to contact her." Michael replied, still focused on the small device.

"It sounds like she's a lucky girl." Solstice said, her fake voice slipping a bit.

"I like to think I'm the lucky one." Michael replied, still typing something.

Suddenly Rick's face appeared on the small screen.

"Oh hey Mike. Hey Solstice." He said, waving.

"Solstice?!" Michael exclaimed, spinning around in his chair, exiting his call with Rick "Solstice!"

"Who's Solstice? Is that your friend?" Solstice asked, still speaking through the fake voice.

"How did you get on the train?" Michael asked, as she sat in the seat next to him.

"I was about to miss it when some woman in a suit grabbed me. She was wearing these black gloves with a B on em." Solstice explained, recalling the encounter. Suddenly a man wearing aviator glasses quickly approached Solstice and Michael.

"Excuse me, but did you say you met a woman in a suit?" He asked.

"Uuh, yeah?" She answered.

"Did you catch her name?" He continued, pulling out a small notepad.

"I'm sorry but do we know you?" Michael interrupted, turning around to get a better look at the man. He was wearing a leather jacket and jeans, carrying a briefcase.

"I'm from the Pokémon Protection Services." He explained, opening his jacket and pointing to small badge with PPS engraved on it.

"Oh, was that woman a criminal?" Solstice asked, taking a drink from a small glass containing some sort of alcohol, assuming it was Michael's.

"That's not important but if you could just describe her for me, it would help a lot." He repeated, tapping the small notepad with his pen. Solstice gave a description of the woman as detailed as she could remember. The man thanked them and walked away in the direction Solstice had encountered the potential pokemon kidnapper.

"What the hell do you think that was about?" Michael asked when the man disappeared behind the sliding doors.

"Dunno." She said, suddenly feeling more urged to have the rest of Michael's alcohol.

"Anyway it'll take the train an entire night to get to Southport City so we got two beds to sleep in."

"Sounds nice."

•••

"What do you mean there aren't enough beds?!" Michael exclaimed, pointing to the large number of empty beds in the sleeping carriage.

"I'm sorry sir but your reservation is for one person, and the other beds have already been booked." The conductor explained, shrugging.

"Where am I supposed to sleep?" Solstice snapped, crossing her arms.

"Don't you have a...pokeball or something?" He asked, unsure how to talk to a pokemon without offending it. Solstice shot him a glare, making him tense. "I'm sorry but the only other option is that you share a bed." He added jokingly, not realizing that they would actually consider it. Michael and Solstice stood in silence for a moment, debating whether that was possible. Suddenly they both realized that that probably wasn't a good idea, based on what happened the other night. The two blushed, looking at the ground, trying to hide it. The conductor began blushing at what he had proposed before slowly slipping through a door into the dinning car.

"So what are we going to do?" Michael asked, finally returning to his normal complexion once again.

"Well. I don't really mind sharing a bed." Solstice said, feeling her face heat up more.

"Yeah, I don't really care either. We're...friends." He said, struggling to find the right word for their relationship, and realizing that 'friend' probably wasn't it.

"Oh. Yeah. It's all cool, just two pals." She said, also regretting her poor choice of words

"Sharing a bed." Michael added.

"Together."

"You and I."

"All night."

"Together."

"In a bed."

The duo stood in silence, thinking about the upcoming night.

"Do you wanna go get some-?"

"Drinks? Yes." Solstice finished. The two rushed to the dinning car.

•••

_Is it really that weird?_

Michael thought, taking a drink of a scotch and soda.

_Should we try and find someone willing to give their bed up? Do I even want to find someone? Maybe this is the kind of thing we need for our relationship_.

He took another drink and glanced at Solstice.

_I don't even know if we have a relationship. I wish I knew what was going on behind those deep, blue, fascinatingly enchanting eyes._

He started blushing, half afraid that someone would somehow hear his thoughts. Solstice looked over at him, taking a break from looking out of the window. Michael jumped, trying to hide his blushing by pretending to yawn. Solstice passively returned to her thoughts and alcohol.

_That was close. I'm sure she didn't notice._

_Who knows, maybe this won't be so bad_.

•••

_Is it really that weird?_

Solstice thought to herself, taking a drink of her favorite cider.

_I used to share a bed with him when I was still a quilava. Would it be any different?_

She took another drink, enjoying the tangy hint of some foreign berry the bartender added.

_Who am I trying to kid. Of course it will. I kissed him. Things have been weird ever since then. I guess neither of us know how to progress._

She glanced out of the window. The silhouette of trees zoomed across the dark blue sky, reminding her of how fast the train was moving. Suddenly Solstice saw Michael looking at her in the reflection of the glass. She turned around to see what he wanted. A small part of her hoped that he'd say something incredibly romantic and kiss her to put her mind at ease. Instead, he just stared at her, his face red from heavy blushing.

_He must have been thinking about my eyes again. He's been doing that a lot recently._

She laughed quietly when he began pretending to yawn in order to hide his face. She decided to spare him the embarrassment and returned to drinking from the small glass.

_Who knows, maybe this won't be so bad_.

•••••••••••••

Sorry about the delay on this one. I was suffering from a tragic combination of family matters and writer's block. I'm quite happy with how this turned out and hope you are too. As always, reviews are extremely appreciated. Stay tuned for the next chapter, "S.S. Seastride".

P.s. I also wanted to clear something up; I don't plan for this series to have any sort of smut in it. Sorry if that disappoints some of you.


	5. SS Seastride

S.S. Seastride

•••••••••••••••••••••

_That went better than I thought._

Michael thought to himself, recalling the previous night's events. The lack of bed's had forced Michael and Solstice to share one. While designed for one person, it easily fit two.

_I guess we just...slept. It's probably best that nothing happened between us._

He had gotten out of bed earlier than most of the other passengers out of old habit. Michael had been careful not to wake Solstice up in the process, knowing that she enjoys her sleep. He took a sip of his coffee. Despite the large amount of caffeine in it, he still felt tired and groggy. An old man sat in a leather chair at the other end of the train car, reading a newspaper. Michael leaned back in his seat and looked out of the window. The black wall of trees covered the sunrise, much to his annoyance. A door slid open behind Michael, making him jump. A girl, about Michael's age, with red hair walked into the car, carrying a travel mug, still in her pajamas. She sat down in the seat across from Michael and took a drink of what he assumed was also coffee.

"The name's Alex, nice to meet ya." She said, holding her hand out and smiling.

"Michael." He answered, returning the gesture.

"You're up mighty early." She said, lifting her legs and crossing them.

"Yeah, force of habit I guess." Michael responded, taking a drink from his small cup. "What's your excuse?"

"Force of habit." She said, looking at Michael with a smirk. "So what brings you up to Southport?"

"Going on a cruise." He replied, not wanting to sound like he was bragging.

"Cool, so am I." Alex added.

"Yeah?" Michael said, surprised.

"Gonna enter the big pokemon tournament." She explained, catching Michael off guard.

"Tournament?" He asked, suddenly interested.

"Yep, massive international tournament. You a trainer?" She asked, also suddenly interested.

"Yeah, I practice every now and then." Michael answered, getting excited.

_I need to lay off the coffee..._

"Well good luck to ya." Alex said.

"You too."

They sat in silence for a bit, both enjoying their drinks.

"Oh hey! You're that guy in my bed car that was snuggling with the Typhlosion." She suddenly exclaimed. Michael coughed a bit of coffee back into the cup.

"What?" He blurted out, wiping his mouth.

"Oh yeah you two were adorable." She explained, wiggling her eyebrows "You guys were spooning more than...well spoons I guess."

Michael blushed, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"So are you two dating or what?" Alex asked, returning to her mug.

"Well," He began, unsure how to answer "not really."

"That's a shame, you two would make a good couple. I know chemistry when I see it." She said, winking at Michael.

"Wait, you're okay with it?" Michael asked.

"Okay with what?"

"Dating a pokemon." He replied.

"Oh yeah I don't care." She explained "sure, there are tons people that think it's wrong but hey, love is love."

Michael leaned back in his seat, feeling more comfortable.

"Just don't go waving it around everywhere, or else people might get angry." She added, making Michael uncomfortable again.

The door slid open again, grabbing everyone's attention, including the old mans. Solstice walked in and looked around train car.

"Speak of the devil." Alex said, laughing.

"Morning." Solstice said groggily, making Alex jump.

"Oh! You talk!" Alex said, instantly regretting her blunt and possibly offensive words.

"Surprise." Solstice replied sarcastically, sitting down in the chair next to Michael's.

"Sorry, she's a little grumpy when she wakes up." Michael explained.

"Go to hell." Solstice said, taking a long drink of coffee from Michael's cup. "You're out." She said, putting the now empty cup on the table.

"I like your style." Alex said, holding her hand out. "Alex."

"Solstice."

"That's a nice name." Alex said, smiling.

"Thanks I guess." She replied, closing her eyes and regretting getting out of bed.

"You must be Michael's girlfriend." Alex said, shooting a smirk at him. Solstice's eyes shot open.

"What?" She blurted, looking at Michael, unsure what to say.

"You _are_ his girlfriend, right?" Alex asked, taking a drinking from her mug again "Because you two would make an _adorable_ couple."

"No we're- well. Uuh, kind of? I don't- no. uum. I mean if he wants- I don't even know what I'm saying." Solstice stammered, looking desperate and blushing deeply.

"Ha! I'm kidding, calm down." Alex said, laughing.

"Oh." Solstice said, still blushing.

"I'm sorry, that was mean of me." Alex apologized, feeling bad for the embarrassed pokemon. "Here, let me make it up to you." She reached into her bag and pulled out small red slip of paper in the shape of a heart. "This is a free dinner for two at one of the fanciest restaurants on the cruise ship. I won it in a battle at the train station."

"Oh really? Thanks!" Solstice said, her complexion returning to normal.

"Yeah thanks." Michael added, reading the ticket over.

"Whatever, didn't have anyone to go with anyway. You two having fun." Alex said, uncrossing her legs and getting up from her seat. "I gotta book but I'll see ya later."

Before she walked through the door, Michael mouthed the words thank you. She winked. and disappeared.

"Sweet, this restaurant looks fancy as hell." Solstice said, "I'll have to buy something formal to wear." She added, not wanting to tell Michael about her favorite dress she had packed just in case.

"Same." Michael replied, also not wanting to reveal the tuxedo he packed.

"We will be arriving at Southport City in 2 hours. Thank you for choosing Belvine Rails." A voice blared over the PA, making the duo jump.

"Awesome! Let's go pack out stuff." Solstice said, hopping up from her seat and walking through the sliding doors.

•••

"And we have waterskiing, swimming, tennis, basketball, water polo, an arcade," Babbled the woman assigned to get Solstice and Michael to the ship safely.

They disregarded her endless list of activities on board the S.S. Seastride, too busy thinking about the pokemon tournament they had recently been told about.

"Oh you two are going to have so much fun! You're so lucky! A free trip aboard the S.S. Seastride!" She chimed, practically bouncing in the car seat. Solstice shot Michael a look of distress, hoping he had come up with a way to get her to stop talking. He returned the gesture, shrugging.

"Uuh, I have a question." Michael asked, interrupting what sounded like a list of restaurants.

"Oh! Yes! What is it?" She asked excitedly, completely abandoning what she was previously saying.

"When is the Pokémon Tournament?" He asked, smiling at his ability to make her shut up.

"Oh! That will start in 3 days! But ya gotta sign up first! You two a team?" She replied, nodding towards Solstice.

"Yeah kind of." Solstice said, making the woman jump and laugh awkwardly again, still not being used to the idea of a talking pokemon.

"Well good luck to the both of you!" She chirped. They sat in silence for a few moments before Michael spoke.

"So just how big is this ship anyway? I mean, it can fit an entire pokemon arena, right?" He asked, still struggling to grasp the cruise ship's size, having only seen pictures.

"Oh I think it can fit more then just one." She replied, pointing at something out the taxi window. Michael leaned forward to get a view at what she was gesturing towards.

_Holy crap. She wasn't joking._

Outside the window was the side of a massive, white cruise ship. Large blue words "S.S. Seastride" stretched across the entire length of it.

_How did I miss that?_

Small windows dotted the side of the ship in long rows. The cruise ship looked capable of holding the entire population of the Belvine region. Layers of decks were piled on top of each other, matching the height of a typical apartment building. Large orange life rafts were attached to what looked to be the main deck for easy access. The parking lot was filled with just about every car imaginable. Large groups of tourists and families wandered towards the ship, many stopping to take pictures.

"Impressive isn't it?" The woman added, grabbing Solstice and Michael's attention once again. "I heard it's even better on the inside."

Solstice took the hint and got out of the taxi, quickly followed by Michael and the escort. They grabbed their suitcases from the trunk and slammed it shut. After a moment of hesitation the taxi drove off. Wingulls hovered around the ship, occasionally landing on the deck to steal food. The trio made their way to the gangway. A huge line of other passengers came into view, each looking either excited or tired from long car trips. Disregarding the enormous crowd of people, the escort led Michael and Solstice to the front, earning a few glares.

"Mr. Weiner and his plus one." their escort clarified to the bouncer-like man at a small desk in front of the wide bridge connecting the ship to land. She pulled out two tickets from her pocket and gave them to the man. "Winners of the couples competition." She added, smiling at Michael and Solstice, both blushing from the mention of being a couple. A few nearby passengers in line shot dirty looks at them when the idea of a pokemon-human relationship came up. One woman let out a ''ha!" quietly, turning away to talk to her friend. Michael took a step away from the typhlosion without her noticing, remembering Alex's warning.

"Hey! Mike! Solstice!" A familiar voice called from behind them, grabbing almost everyone's attention.

_Speak of the devil._

"Glad to see you made it! This thing is huge, eh?" Alex said, quickly joining her recently acquired friends.

"Oh hey Alex," Michael replied, "Yeah, I was worried they wouldn't be able to fit an entire pokemon arena on it."

"I heard there were three." Alex added, leaning against her large suitcase.

"Oh hello!" The escort chimed, waving to Alex, "Do you know these two?"

"Hell yeah!" She replied, pulling Solstice and Michael close, one in each arm, "Cutest couple on the train." She added, sticking her tongue out when she saw Michael nod towards the crowd of people. A few more people turned away in what Solstice assumed was disgust, making her look at the ground.

"How nice!" The escort chirped, also clearly uncomfortable with their relationship but not wanting to show it, "Well we must be going! Good bye!"

"See ya guys later" Alex called, already making her way to the end of the line.

"Okay you two, let's get on!"

•••

"And this is your room!" The escort exclaimed, pushing open a wooden door with a small golden plate on it, displaying the numbers "279". Solstice walked in first, followed by Michael.

_Woah._

The duo walked into the spacious living room, both surprised at it's size. A large pair of white curtains blew in the cool breeze, covering an open glass door leading to a balcony. A large plasma tv hung on a wall in front of a single 3-person sized couch. The room's floor was composed of wood, save for the cream colored rug bearing a couch and coffee table.

"This has to be bigger than our apartment!" Solstice said excitedly, setting the suitcases against a wall. She walked into the kitchen which opened up into the rest of the room. She quickly checked the empty cupboards for food or utensils.

"Looks like we're going to be eating out a lot." She added, sitting in one of the two stools tucked under the kitchen island. Solstice grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl in front of her. "Hey cool, I thought it'd be fake."

Behind the couch, a fairly large wooden dining table sat with two grand-looking chairs. A few candles were bunched together in the center, surrounding a intricately-patterned clay vase of pink flowers.

_I guess this is a couples suite..._

Michael wandered into the bedroom. As he expected, there was one bed, one dresser and large full-body mirror. Small pink petals were scattered on the red bed covers, a long with a small box of chocolates. Blushing, he quickly gathered them up the petals in his hand and hid them in the bottom drawer, along with the chocolates.

"How does it look?" Solstice called from the other room.

"Good. There's only one bed but whatever." Michael replied, joining her in the kitchen.

"Whatever."

"Okay well I'll leave you two to it!" The escort called, beginning to walk out of the door, "If you have any questions, just ask!"

"Thanks for everything." Solstice replied, poking her head into the hallway and watching to make sure the woman had left hearing range. "I thought she'd never leave."

"I know what you mean." Michael agreed, flopping onto the couch, "So what do you want to do now?" He asked, watching Solstice take another bite out of the apple.

"Dunno, we're on a freaking cruise ship. You heard chatterbox, they have pretty much everything." She said, tossing what was left of the apple into a garbage bin.

"So." Michael said, scanning over a list of things to do in his head. They sat in silence for a few moments, neither of them actually wanting to leave the room.

"Video games?" They both suggested in unison, "Oh thank god."

"I'll get the console and hook it up." Solstice said quickly, hopping off of the stool and walking over to her suitcase.

"I'll get the controllers," Michael added, opening his luggage.

•••

"Oh god this can't be happening." Solstice muttered under her breath, desperately searching through her luggage.

_It has to be here. I packed it, right?_

Clothes flying across the room in all directions, she frantically looked for the dress she thought she had packed. She quickly gathered up the many variants of clothes she had brought and threw them back into the suitcase, making her wonder why she had packed so many. Dismissing the thought, Solstice gave up all hope of finding her dress.

_I need something to wear. I don't usually wear clothes but I want to fit in for once._

Suddenly she noticed the vase of flowers on the bed-side table. It looked to have a vast selection of exotic plants. Solstice ran over to it and grabbed the first stem she could get her hands around. After pulling it from the vase, she saw that she had grabbed a large pink lotus flower.

_Good enough._

With a make-shift clips to hold it in place, Solstice quickly fashioned the exotic flower into a hair accessory. Clipping it on her ear, she walked over to the full-body mirror to see the potential train-wreck.

_Huh. It looks...good._

After a little adjusting, she confidently strolled back to her suitcase an zipped it up.

_It's no dress, but whatever._

•••

"Oh god this can't be happening." Michael blurted out quietly. Pulling shirts and pants out of his suitcase in hopes of finding his missing suit. As he had assumed, the bag still lacked his suit. He heard Solstice moving around a lot in the bedroom.

_Oh crap I bet she's already ready to go_.

He waited a moment, half expecting to see her burst out of the door on a long flowing dress, only to be disappointed by her under-dressed date. Fortunately the door remained closed. He sat down on the couch after pushing a controller onto the floor.

_What am I going to do? This restaurant is fancy as hell and I don't even have a tie._

Michael stood up once again and walked to his open suitcase once again. After a moment of searching he pulled out a white polo.

_I guess this will have to do._

He pulled the polo over his head after slipping out of his other shirt and tossing it into the suitcase. Suddenly a knock came at the door. Michael ran over and opened it. An old man in a tuxedo looked up at him. He looked confused and lost.

"Shit." He blurted out in a thick British accent, looking at a small piece of paper, "Is this room 469?"

"Uh, no sorry," Michael replied, pointing the numbers on the door.

"Bollocks." He muttered, "Know where it is?"

"Yeah I think it's just down the hallway."

"Oh thanks, kid." He thanked, turning around to continue on his quest.

"Hey wait." Michael called, stopping his door from closing. The old man turned around slowly, cocking an eyebrow, "Is there any way I could buy that bow tie from you?"

"Take it" He laughed, "Maybe you'll have better luck." He pulled it off and tossed the small black bow tie to Michael; turning around again.

"Thanks!" Michael called, closing the door.

"Use a condom." The old man added, slowly making his way to his room.

Michael locked the door and quickly put the bow tie on. He walked over to the blank tv screen to check his reflection.

_Huh. It looks pretty awesome._

He fixed his hair a bit and zipped up his suitcase.

_It's no suit, but whatever._

••••••••••••

Okay! So another delay on this one which I apologize for. I was originally going to have the dinner included in this chapter but decided against it, being as I didn't want to rush it. I hope you're enjoying reading this story as much as I am making it! As always, reviews are extremely appreciated! Stay tuned for the next chapter, "Table For Two"!~

-Stripedblur


	6. Table For Two

Okay! So I'm finally back from vacation with a brand new chapter. I hope you enjoy~

•••••••••••••••••••

Table For Two

•••••••••••••••••••

Michael sat up on the couch at the sound of an opening door. Solstice hesitantly walked into the room, afraid of the potential ridicule she might receive from the makeshift hair accessory. Michael hesitantly stood up, also afraid the typhlosion might not approve of his choice of clothing. They both held in a laugh at the lack of formality their shared.

"Where's your dress?" Michael asked, realizing that he may have sound disapproving.

"Where's your suit?" She replied, also regretting the poor choice of words.

"I didn't mean it like that." They apologized in unison, "You look really nice.". They burst into laughter. Solstice joined her trainer by the door. Michael began to slip into his shoes.

_Are these shoes fancy enough? Do I even need to wear shoes? They'll be under a table anyway._

After a brief pause, he continued to put them on. Solstice quickly checked her reflection in the oven's surface.

_It's all good. I need to stop worrying, tonight is about having fun._

She stopped scratching the back of her paws, trying to relax a bit. Seeing Solstice relax, Michael also began to feel less nervous.

"Okay, ready to go?" He asked, nodding to the door.

"Lead the way." She answered, holding the door open.

•••

Michael and Solstice leisurely made their way across the top deck, taking in the view. The ship hadn't pulled away from shore yet, despite the passengers having already boarded. The city had since become an glowing web of lights, illuminating the mountains that loomed over the valley it was in. Millions of stars hung in the cloudless sky along with a large crescent moon. The quiet splashing of waves and mixed chatter from other passengers helped the duo relax a little, both worried at the night's potential to go astray. An intricate net of decorative lanterns hung above the entire deck, which Solstice assumed was for some event they didn't know about.

_This place is so beautiful._

Solstice thought, struggling to see everything at once. They turned a corner and came face to face with a large line of people, each idly chatting with one another.

"Woah look at this line! It's huge!" Solstice blurted out, seeing the seemingly never-ending cue of people.

"Yeah no kidding. I hope there's enough tables." Michael added, not entirely sure how big this restaurant actually was. He quickly checked the heart-shaped card to make sure they were in the right place.

"Yeah it would suck to have to move our date to some crappy buffet." Solstice replied, realizing that she referred to the dinner as a date. She watched for Michael's reaction out of the corner of her eye, half hoping that he had heard it. He continued to stare straight ahead. Sighing, she joined him.

_By the looks of it, these people aren't that fancy._

She adjusted the flower regardless, still caring what the other passengers thought.

_I guess I'm the only pokemon here..._

Solstice observed, not really surprised. Upon feeling a burning from her paw, she realized that she had been scratching the back of it again. Solstice looked for something for her hands to do.

_Hand rail? Too dirty. Pockets? Don't have pockets. Dammit I wish I had brought a paper clip or something._

She desperately looked at the ground, hoping to find something.

_There has to be something._

"Uuuh, Solstice?" Michael asked, bringing her back to reality.

"Hmm?"

"You're squeezing my hand." He responded, pointing with his free hand.

_Oh._

Solstice stared at their linked hands for a moment, before realizing how tightly she was holding his. She loosened her grip, not completely letting go, seeing if he would pull away. To her surprise, Michael simply looked at her and returned to watching the other passengers. Feeling a thousand pounds lifted off her shoulders, Solstice stopped slouching. She cautiously wiggled her paw into a more comfortable position and waited to she how he'd respond. Michael continued to stare straight ahead. Solstice noticed he tensed up, probably nervous out of his mind.

_I don't why we're so nervous. This might actually be fun._

•••

"So what's this place called anyway?" Solstice asked, unable to find a sign anywhere, despite drawing close to the front of the line. Michael let go of her hand to pull the heart-shaped card out of his pocket.

"The Zen Garden." He quoted, scanning over the card.

_That explains the lanterns._

Solstice looked around the large deck, still impressed by it. Suddenly she noticed a few dirty looks from other people standing on line. One person turned her nose up when Solstice looked in her direction.

_What the hell is this all about?_

She turned around once again, and realized what they were staring at. She quickly let go of Michael's hand, getting a confused look from him. Solstice sheepishly nodded in the direction of the glares. He turned around and saw why she had let go. They both looked at the ground out of embarrassment.

After a few more minutes of waiting in line, they reach the front. The sound of live music grew louder as they approached. A man in a suit was standing behind a podium, holding a small clipboard.

"Hello, and welcome to The Zen Garden." He greeted them through an accent neither could recognize.

_What kind of accent is that? Hoenn?_

The man cautiously examined the pair for a brief moment before smiling.

"Do you have reservations?" He asked, opening a large book on the podium.

"We have this." Michael answered, handing the heart shaped card over. He closed what they assumed was the reservation book and took the card.

"Oh." The man said, recognizing it immediately, "I see.". Michael and Solstice blushed at his obvious disapproval.

"Follow me if you will." He smiled, before walking into the restaurant. The pair hesitantly followed him, both starting to feel nervous. As they entered, Solstice realized why it was called The Zen Garden.

The restaurant was a large, intricately arranged room, filled with chatting and eating customers. The walls were illuminated by orange lights, giving the restaurant a soothing feel. Small zen gardens were scattered around the room, each bearing a variety of rocks, boulders and bamboo. Nearly every table was occupied.

The music was coming from a lone musician sitting on a small stage at the other end of the room. She was wearing a long gown and playing some kind of foreign string instrument neither Michael nor Solstice recognized. It produced a soft series of seemingly random notes. The smell of food hit Solstice's nose, making her stomach growl, catching Michael attention.

"I can't wait to eat either" He whispered, afraid of catching the attention of other passengers.

After a short walk, they arrived at their table. A small potted bamboo plant acted as the centerpiece, surrounded by small candles.

"Someone will be with you shortly." The escort explained, setting two menus on the table. He quickly left Michael and Solstice alone.

"Where do you think he's off to in such a hurry?" Michael asked, pulling a chair from under the table and sitting in it.

"Probably off to serve another couple." Solstice answered, joining him. "You saw the line."

They both unfolded the menus and began looking for something to order. Michael paused from the menu and looked at Solstice.

"Couple?" Michael asked, grabbing Solstice's attention.

"What?"

"You said 'another couple'" He explained, cocking an eyebrow.

"Huh." She said, returning to her menu.

"Huh."

_So, does this make us a couple? I didn't mean to call us that. But would being a couple be so bad? We could do it. Probably_

As Solstice continued her mental battle, a waitress approached their table.

"Hello and welcome to The Zen Garden." She greeted sternly, pulling out a small notepad "What will you have?"

"Oh, uum." Michael stammered, "We'll share a plate of nachos." He replied, looking at Solstice for confirmation. She nodded in agreement and closed her menu.

"Very well. One plate of...nachos." The waitress sighed, taking their menus and walking away.

"Are nachos too informal for this place? Should we have ordered a steak or something?" Michael asked, leaning towards Solstice.

"They had steak?!" Solstice blurted out, now severely disappointed with their choice.

"Oh well, we already ordered it and I don't feel like talking to that woman again." He shrugged.

"Good point."

"This place is fancy as hell, eh?" Michael added, looking around.

"No kidding. I hope we're not underdressed." Solstice worried, also looking around.

"I don't think so," Michael assured, "most of these people aren't in a suit or anything." He quickly adjusted his bow tie and polo without Solstice noticing.

"Yeah I guess you're right." She replied, also quickly adjusting her make-shift formal attire.

The music stopped abruptly, quickly followed by the other passenger's conversations. Michael and Solstice turned to see the musician get up and walk off stage. She was shortly replaced by a another musician in a gown, carrying a flute of sorts. Sitting in the same place as the last, she began playing. A soft melody dominated the entire restaurant as everyone quickly watched intently, listening to the change in music.

"It's so...peaceful." Michael whispered, not wanting to be the first to break the silence. Suddenly the room erupted with quiet chatter again, making Michael and Solstice feel comfortable to talk once again.

•••

_Ask him. No, don't. It's not worth the risk_.

Solstice debated in her head, passively watching Michael eat nachos at an alarming rate.

_He sure loves nachos. Maybe we could get room service to bring some up for us later. That's be a nice surprise, right? What am I even thinking, can I even date a human? He's been my friend for ages, I don't want to jeopardize that. Not to mention I'm just a heart-stricken typhlosion._

The last thought stung a little bit, hating the idea of being penalized for being a pokemon.

"What's up?" Michael asked, trying to swallow a mouthful of nachos. Solstice's ears perked up, not having paid him much attention, "You haven't eaten any nachos. What's on your mind?"

Not wanting to reveal the mental debate she was having, Solstice quickly thought of a lie.

"Steak." She blurted out.

"Steak?"

"Steak."

"Still wish you had ordered it? These nachos are great." He replied, grabbing another cheese and pepper-covered chip from the large basket on the table.

"Oh yeah? At the speed you're eating them at, I wouldn't have guessed" She smirked, making him drastically slow his nacho-intake rate and start blushing a little bit.

"Here, have some. You haven't eaten that much today and I'd hate for you to starve on my behalf."

He pushed the half-empty basket across the small table. Not wanting to starve either, she grabbed a single nacho chip and cautiously took a bit out of it, not sure how good it would be.

_Holy shit._

"Is this real cheese?" She blurted out, grabbing a small handful and quickly eating it.

"Yeah I think so, it's awesome." He said, reminiscing about the taste. Solstice grabbed another chip and scooped up some small jalapeños.

"Oh god it's so hot!" She exclaimed, taking a long drink from her glass of water.

"Huh, a Typhlosion thinks it's hot." Michael laughed, "That's gotta be one hot pepper."

Solstice slightly cringed at the mention of typhlosion, bringing her back to her previous train of thought. She quickly ignored it continued enjoying the meal.

•••

_Don't ask her. No, ask her. It's worth the risk._

Michael debated, passively watching Solstice devour what's left of the nachos. He quietly chuckled.

_She sure does love her spicy food. Maybe I could use that to make her dinner some time. Do I even know any spicy foods I can cook? What am I even thinking, could I even date a pokemon? There isn't a law against it or anything. But still... We've been friends for ages and I'd hate to ruin that._

"You alright?" Solstice asked, eating the last nacho chip in a single bite.

"What?" He replied, not having paid her much attention.

"You went all catatonic on me while I was eating. What gives?" She asked. Her back flames died down to a simmer after she realized that the nachos had been finished. Not wanting to reveal his mental debate, he quickly blurted out the first lie he could think of.

"We should date." He blurted out, quickly realizing his failed attempt to lie.

_Smooth._

Solstice coughed back some water into her glass, her back flames reappearing in full strength.

"Really?" She asked, putting the glass of water down, "like actually date?"

"Uuh." He hesitated, unsure how the either excited or disgusted pokemon would react.

_It's now or never I guess._

"Yes." He answered.

After a moment of hesitation from Solstice, her back flames somehow plumed out stronger than they already were.

"Okay." She answered, quickly scratching the back of her paw, "Yeah. Yes I would love to date you."

"So we just received word that the winners of the Couple's Cruise Competition are dining with us tonight!" A voice abruptly blared over the peaceful music, making nearly everyone in the restaurant jump. Solstice shot Michael a scared look.

"There they are!" The man called. Michael looked at the stage to see a man in flamboyant blue tuxedo pointing at them. Suddenly the burning of a thousand disapproving stares beamed down on the duo. The once calming orange lighting now seemed hellish. No amount of blushing or paw scratching seemed to spare the two from the judgmental passengers, almost all of them turned to one another to discuss the joke of a relationship before them. A thousand nervous thoughts passed through their minds, each telling them to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Aren't they cute?" The man announced, briefly struggling to find an adjective to describe the embarrassed couple, "No need to be shy!"

Michael and Solstice felt the large number of staring passengers dwindle just as quickly as it had grown.

"I think it's time we left." Solstice whispered, not wanting to bring anymore attention to themselves.

"Agreed."

•••

"Well that was..." Michael said, struggling to find a word to describe the roller coaster that had been their "date".

"Embarrassing? Terrifying?" She added, able to think of a few more vulgar terms. She decided against using them, being as they were walking past a group of children.

"Well it wasn't that bad." Michael added, trying to sound optimistic.

"Oh yeah? Why not?" She asked.

"Well now we're dating, right?" Michael replied, not sure if that still applied.

"Oh. That's right." She blurted out, forgetting the entire instance.

"So, what now?" Michael asked, looking around the main deck.

"I dunno." She replied, only being in a relationship once, with a Swampert. She shuddered at the memories. "Are we supposed to stand on the front of the ship and yell "I'm on top of the world!"?".

"Not unless we want it to sink." He added, laughing. They continued walking for a bit in silence.

"So."

"So."

"Video Games?"

"You're on."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I decided to do the majority of it from Solstice's perspective for a change. I'm really happy with how this chapter turned out. As always, every review is appreciated! Stay tuned for the next chapter "Complications"

-Stripedblur


	7. Complications

Complications

••••••••••••••••••

"Here's a scotch and soda, and rum." The bartender chimed, skillfully sliding two small glasses down the entire length of the bar counter without spilling a single drop. Michael quickly caught both and thanked her. He joined Solstice on at a small, umbrella-covered table.

"Here ya go." He said, handing the drink to his pokemon and recently-acquired girlfriend.

"Thanks" She muttered, lifting her head from the table, "Should I even be having alcohol right now?"

"No idea. Feeling any better?"

"Not really," She replied, taking a drink from the glass, "We've only been at sea for a couple days and i'm already sea sick.". She lowered her head again and moaned quietly.

"Why didn't anyone tell us there was an adults-only deck?" She muttered, "This place is so peaceful. No goddamn kids."

Michael laughed and took another sip of his scotch and soda.

"I know what you mean." He replied. They sat in silence for a while, passively listening to nearby chatter from other passengers and enjoying their drinks.

"Hey you two!" An all too familiar voice called, grabbing the duo's attention.

"Oh, hey Alex." Michael answered as she joined them at the table. Solstice murmured something that Alex assumed was a greeting and rested her head on the table again.

"What's up with the zombie?" She asked, nodding to Solstice.

"Sea sick."

"Ouch." She replied, recalling her previous sea sick experiences, "Don't worry, it'll go away soon enough."

"It better." Solstice snapped, lifting her head to take another sip of rum.

"Should you be drinking while your sea sick?" Alex questioned, taking a drink from Michael's glass.

"Don't know, don't care." She snapped.

"Fair enough." Alex replied, looking around the deck, "Anyway, how great is this Adults-Only deck? No goddamn kids!"

Solstice muttered something in agreement.

"So today is the sign-up for the pokemon tournament," Alex added, "you guys still gonna enter?"

"Unless Solstice's sea sickness doesn't go away, yeah" He answered, nodding to the quietly moaning typhlosion.

"Cool. I'm gonna get a drink." Alex hopped off of the stool and walked over to the open bar. She returned with a glass containing some kind of clear liquid.

"So are you two dating yet?" She asked jokingly.

"Actually we are." Michael said proudly, holding Solstice's hand in his own. Solstice muttered something and pulled her hand away.

"Really? Since when?" Alex asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Since last night at dinner."

"Cool." She replied, taking a drink from her glass, "Did you guys have sex yet?"

"Nope." He answered, taking another drink from the suddenly inviting alcohol.

"Why not?" She asked, looking between the couple.

"We don't really know If we can." Michael shrugged, starting to blush at the direction the conversation had turned.

"If you can?" Alex laughed, "you two are adorable.". Two other passengers at a nearby table started listening in on their conversation. Noticing this, Alex lowered her voice.

"Here," She said quietly, grabbing a napkin, "Go to this website. It'll have everything you need to know." She quickly scribbled a URL down with a pen she pulled out of her pocket. She pushed it over to Michael and stood up.

"Registration will start soon so you guys better be there." She chimed, before disappearing behind a corner

Michael read the napkin.

" sex/"

_Why did she have that memorized?_

He quickly demised the thought and returned to the problem at hand.

"Do you...need anything?" Michael asked, unsure how to cure sea sickness.

"No." She muttered

"What about a potion or something?" He asked, completely forgetting that she was a pokemon. Solstice cringed at the suggestion. She had been trying to act less like a pokemon and more like a human in order to fit in more. The last thing she wanted to do was drink a pokemon-designed potion.

After a few seconds of silence, Michael began to worry that his suggestion had offended her in some way.

"Yeah. Okay." She replied, realizing that if might be her only chance at recovering from her sea sickness. With a quiet sigh of relief, Michael stood up and knocked back the rest of his drink.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," He said, trying to remember where he had seen a pokémart on board, "try not to die or something."

Solstice muttered something in agreement and rested her head on the table once again.

•••

A bell dinged as Michael entered the small pokémart. The cashier looked up from his magazine and smiled. Michael returned the gesture and began his search. Quiet jazz music was playing from a small radio on the counter. He turned down an isle he assumed was for medicine. The extensive collection of various bottles and containers confirmed his assumption. He found the pokemon medicine section and scanned it for a nausea potion.

_Burn, poison, sleep, all purpose._

He grabbed the small yellow container marked "All purpose" and read the label on the back.

_Cures poison, sleep, paralysis...and nausea!_

He walked up to the counter and handed the container to the cashier. Suddenly a small human-designed medicine bottle on a nearby rack gave him an idea. He grabbed the bottle and put it next to the potion. After paying, he walked to the side of the ship and pulled the human medicine out of the small pokémart bag, unscrewed the top and poured it over the edge. He peered down the side of the towering cruise ship and watched the air carry it to the water, making sure it didn't hit anyone. He pulled the pokemon potion out of the bag and emptied it into the bottle. After tossing the potion container away, he started walking back to the adult deck.

•••

"Hey, feeling any better?" Michael greeted the Typhlosion, who was now on her second drink.

"Not really." She replied, setting her glass down.

"Maybe this will help." He chimed, tossing the bottle at Solstice. She quickly caught it and read the label.

_Human medicine?_

He looked at Michael with a cocked eyebrow.

"Will this even work?" she asked, reading over the label.

"The store clerk said it would." Michael replied.

"Will all pokemon tournament entrees please make their way to the sign-in booth on deck 3." A voice blared from a nearby speaker.

"That's us, drink it and let's go." Michael said, joining her at the table.

"Fine." She unscrewed the medicine's cap and poured some of the yellow liquid into it. Michael tensed up, forgetting about the potion's unusual colour. Solstice knocked it back and instantly recognized the horrible taste.

_This is a potion..._

She held in a laugh at Michael's poor attempt to disguise it.

"Tastes just like a potion." She said sarcastically, screwing the cap back on. Realizing that the cover had been blown, he snatched the bottle from her.

"Ya know, you could have at least pretended not to recognize it." He sighed, hopping off his stool. Solstice joined him and kissed him on cheek.

"It was cute." She winked. Michael rolled his eyes and started walking towards the elevators.

"C'mon, we don't want to miss our chance to kick some ass."

•••

"Next." A woman called, sitting behind a paper-cluttered desk.

"Finally." Michael muttered, having long since grown tired of waiting in line.

"Ya here t' enter th' pokemon tournament?" She beamed, somehow managing to maintain a positive attitude, despite the extensive line.

"Yeah," Michael explained, handing over his trainer card. She inserted the it into a small machine. Michael's information appeared on a tv monitor on the wall. His lack of experience compared to the other competitors made his blush a bit. He quickly pulled himself together, not wanting to look weak in front of the competition.

"And what pokemon will you be using?" She asked, typing something into a computer.

"My typlosion, Solstice." He replied, looking for her

"I need a dollar." Solstice seemingly appeared out of thin air.

"What? Why?" He asked, nodding towards the woman behind the desk, "kinda in the middle of something."

"They have BBQ chips in that vending machine over there." She pointed.

"Fine, here." He tossed the coin at her.

"Thanks, babe" She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, before continuing on her quest for chips.

"Okay, where were we?" He asked, returning his attention to the woman.

"Hey, listen." The woman whispered, leaning towards Michael, "After that display right there, I don't think you should enter the tournament."

_What?!_

"It that some kind of joke?" Michael exclaimed.

"The other passengers may not agree with...that kind of relationship. It might lead to complications." She explained, shrugging.

"I don't care. I'm signing up for this tournament." He said sternly, getting annoyed.

"Very well," She sighed, handing his trainer back, "who will be your partner?"

"Partner?"

"All entrees must have a partner for the first double team round." She explained, sounding a lot less happier than she had been previously.

"Oh, uuuh." He stuttered, not having prepared for this.

"I'm his partner." A familiar voice beamed, making Michael jump. He turned around to see Alex standing behind him. She pulled out trainer card and tossed it to the woman. After the woman insert her card, Alex's trainer information appeared on the tv screen.

_8 badges?!_

"You have 8 badges?" Solstice joined them, eating a bag of BBQ chips she had bought from a nearby vending machine, "Cool."

"Oh, yeah," She shrugged, "Got 'em a year ago."

"You never told us you had 8 badges!" Michael exclaimed, staring at the tv screen.

"You never asked." Alex responded, putting her trainer card away again. The trio left the line and walked over by a row of vending machines.

"If we're going to double team, I'll need to know what pokemon you're using." Michael explained, "What's your team look like"

"Poliwrath."

"And?"

"That's it."

"That's it?!"

"That's it." Alex repeated, not sure why he was having a difficult time understanding the concept.

"Well we should make a plan if we're going to fight together." He sighed, taking a chip out of Solstice's bag.

"Here's the plan," She began, taking the chip out of Michael's hand, "We win."

"I like it," Solstice agreed. Alex nodded, tossing the chip into her mouth before Michael could grab it again.

"That's it?

"That's it."

"Fine, but don't come crying to me when we end up losing."

"We'll be fine." She rolled her eyes, "You going to the party?"

"There's a party?" Solstice asked, grimly staring into the empty bag.

"Yeah! I heard it was gonna be huge." She replied matter-of-factly.

"Cool, wanna go?" Michael asked, turning to Solstice. She shrugged and nodded.

"Sweet, deck 7." Alex added, turning to leave, "See ya there."

"You sure want to go?" Michael asked, "I know you're not a big fan of crowded places."

"Whatever, I think I can handle one party" She smiled, "Now give me another dollar, these chips kick ass."

•••

Michael and Solstice could already hear a bass riff as the elevator passed floor 5. The muted hollering of party-goers made Solstice start to regret their decision to come. A loud ding informed the duo that they had arrived at the party floor. As the doors slowly opened, they quickly realized that "huge party" was an understatement. The entire deck was a sea of dancing, drinking and partying. Large beams of various lights flashed across the deck in what looked to be the aftermath of a fog-machine accident. Some form of techno music was blasting from scattered pairs of fridge-sized speakers. The elevator dinged again, reminding the two to step out of the elevator and into the madness. A group of half naked people appeared out of seemingly nowhere and handed Michael an empty vodka bottle.

"Uuuuh, thanks?" He called, watching them disappear into the crowd as quickly at they had appeared. He looked Solstice and shrugged.

"How are we supposed to find Alex in this mess?" Solstice asked, taking the bottle from Michael and handing it to a random person in what looked like a sleeping bag with leg holes cut in it.

"No idea." Michael shrugged, "This party is huge."

Suddenly a bright burst of light erupted from the center of the party, making everyone jump or cheer. A flash of yellow lightning shot into the sky, making the crowd cheer even louder.

_Is that a Pokémon battle?!_

Michael and Solstice pushed their way through the chaos in hopes of getting a better view. An explosion indicated that the battle was only getting more and more intense as they drew closer.

"I bet Alex would love this." Solstice called, finally pushing her way to the front of the crowd. "Uuuh, Mike?"

"What?" He yelled over the music, joining her in front of the crowd

"I found Alex."

Michael looked up to see Alex standing at one end of the battle with her Poliwraith, fighting what looked to be a Raichu.

_Speak of the devil._

"Poliwraith! Use hydro pump." She yelled. After a nod of agreement from her pokemon, the Poliwraith leapt into air and launched a blast rushing water at the electric pokemon. The raichu's trainer quickly reacted to the attack and commanded his pokemon to dodge it. The beam of water hit the floor, drenching the excited crowd of people, only making them yell and cheer more.

"Use thunder punch!" The trainer yelled, pointing at Alex's Poliwraith. The Raichu quickly dashed towards the other pokemon, a ball of lightning forming in it's paw. The crowd yelled in excitement as the raichu's fist connected with poliwrath's jaw. Sparks flew in all directions, disappearing into the sky or floor. The poliwrath fell to the ground in a cloud of smoke. Alex quickly redrew her pokemon after a short burst of profanity.

"You got lucky." Alex snapped, slipping the pokeball in her pocket.

"Ha!" The trainer fist-bumped his raichu, "Call it whatever you want, I still won. Now cough up the money."

"How about we make things a little more interesting." Alex offered, spotting Michael and Solstice in the crowd.

_Oh no._

"If you can beat my friend, I'll pay double." She challenged, winking at Michael.

_What?!_

"Easy money." He laughed, "Who's your friend?"

"Man, I feel bad for the suckers that have to fight this guy. I bet there's a lot of money involved."

"Michael and Solstice, get out here!" Alex called, pointing directly at them. A small gap in the crowd formed around the duo, drawing everyone's attention.

"Could have seen that one coming." Solstice muttered, looking at Michael, "No backing out now I guess."

Michael sighed and nodded in agreement. The pair took a step forward into the open area. The silent crowd of passengers erupted in cheering, making Michael jump.

"That's who your relying on?" The trainer laughed, sizing them up, "Some dork and his typhlosion?"

Solstice cringed at the crowd's laughter. She turned to Michael and nodded. They joined Alex at the opposite end of human-formed arena.

"Glad you came, I'd hate to give this ass a hundred dollars for winning." She smiled, patting the pokeball in her pocket.

"You bet a hundred dollars on one fight?!" Solstice exclaimed, realized what they had gotten themselves into.

"How was I suppose to know he would pull out a raichu?" She asked defensively, "Anyway, don't fuck up. I need this money.". She quickly merged into the crowd of people, leaving Michael and Solstice alone.

"So you two ready to fight Allison's battles for her?" The trainer asked smugly, earning a few laughs.

"It's Alex!" Alex called from the crowd.

"Whatever."

"We gonna fight or what?" Michael asked, trying to sound more intimidating.

"Bring it."

"You got it." Michael nodded, "Solstice! Quick attack!".

Solstice lunged into a head-on sprint towards the raichu. Before it could respond, Solstice'a fist connected with the side of it's head. The electric pokemon was sent flying into the crowd of people, forcing them to move out of the way.

"Thunder punch! Now!"

The raichu quickly leapt up from it's dazed state on the ground. Sparks began forming in it's paw as it ran towards Solstice.

"Dodge it!" Michael commanded, enjoying the thrill of fighting again. Solstice jumped out of the charging raichu's path with ease. The angered raichu continued running until it collided with a speaker, cutting the music off. The crowd fell silent, staring dumbly at the wreckage. A blast of techno music suddenly blared from the other speakers on the deck, making the crowd's cheers return to their usual, deafening volume.

The raichu leapt into the air and sprinted towards Solstice, surprising it's trainer. The pokemon head butted the typhlosion in the gut, sending her flying backwards. Solstice quickly regained her posture and landed on the ground safely.

"Fire spi-"

"Thunderbolt!" The trainer Interrupted. The raichu quickly closed it eyes and launched a bolt of lightning in Solstice's direction.

"Solstice!" Michael yelled, unable to think of a move to use. Solstice was blasted into the air in an explosion of sparks and smoke. She landed on the deck with a audible thud. The smoke cleared, revealing Solstice on laying motionless on the ground. Michael quickly ran over to her.

"Solstice! Are you alright?!" He yelled, kneeling next to the typhlosion, "Answer me!"

Solstice opened her eyes and looked at Michael. After a quick wink, she leapt onto her feet, pushing Michael aside. After realizing what was happening Michael quickly stood up. The crowd went mad at the sudden turn of events, catching the raichu's attention. The electric pokemon began waving to the crowd, thinking the battle was over.

"Flamethrower!" He yelled. After a second of preparing, a stream of fire erupted from Solstice's mouth. Before it was able to react, the raichu was sent spiraling into a pair of speakers, abruptly cutting the music off again. The lack of movement from the pile of electronics indicated that the battle had ended. Realizing that the party's source of music had be destroyed, they turned their focus from the wreckage to Michael and Solstice. A few people boo'd and threw some garbage at them. Alex appeared from the crowd and ran over to the raichu's dumbfounded trainer. She took the money out of his hand. Grabbing Michael and Solstice arm, she narrowly dodged a half empty can of cola.

"I think we've done enough damage for one night," She yelled over the crowd's disapprovement, "Let's get out of here before they get violent."

•••

"And then you were all like use flamethrower!" Alex imitated, walking between Michael and Solstice down a long hallway to their room, "Oh man, did you see the way that raichu crashed into the speaker?! It was legendary!". Michael rolled his eyes at Alex's third recap of the fight. The sight of his room's door was a welcoming one.

"Well," Michael interrupted, "This is us, see ya at the tag team match."

"You got it! Good night!" She called, disappearing behind a corner.

Michael closed the door behind them, making sure Alex was gone.

"I thought she'd never stop talking." Solstice muttered, flopping onto the couch.

"I know what you mean." He laughed, joining her, "You up for some video games?"

"I'm gonna go to bed, actually." Solstice replied, getting up from the couch and quickly kissing Michael, "G' night!"

"Good night." He smiled, turning on their video game console.

_Maybe winning the tournament won't be that hard_.

He picked up the controller and turned on the TV screen.

_I guess there's only one way to find out_.

••••••••••

I apologize for delay once again. I ran into some problems involving a broken window and 22 stitches. As usual all reviews are appreciated. Stay tuned for the next chapter "Round 1"

-Stripedblur

•••••••••••


	8. Round 1

Round 1

••••••••••••

Michael paced around the large locker room, running over differently battle scenarios that could occur in the following match, as he usually did before a fight. Solstice rolled her eyes at him, watching him walk back and forth. Suddenly he stopped walking, remembering something.

"I saw our opponents," Michael began, gesturing Alex and Solstice into a huddle, "He had a machoke and a sandshrew."

"Oh, this won't be very hard." Alex shrugged, "That sandshrew is as good as gone. Right now our only challenge is that machoke."

"I've beaten plenty of fighting pokemon," Solstice rolled her eyes, breaking away from the huddle, "They're stupid and easy to outsmart."

"Well we don't know about this one." Michael replied, also breaking away, "In case it's smart, just remember that your faster than they are. Whenever you attack, make it quick and keep moving. Never stand still because that's when they'll get ya.."

"You watched that boxing movie on channel 8 last night, didn't you?" Alex cocked an eyebrow, recognizing the corny and poorly-scripted lines.

"I couldn't sleep and it was the only thing on." Michael explained, taking a drink from a bottle of , "Are you gonna let your pokemon out? Let em warm up?"

"We got some practice in the training room before we came here." She explained, patting the pokeball in her pocket.

"There's a training room?" Michael asked.

"Yeah, pretty high-standard. Probably wouldn't let your kind in." She laughed.

"The other day you punched a bouncer because he said you looked "a little too young to get in"." He quoted.

"Whatever, dude had it coming." She stood up from the bench, "gonna go mingle with the other entrees. See how weak they are."

"Try not too be social,"

"Bite me."

Michael put the half-empty water bottle back on the bench and turned to Solstice, who had been quiet up until now.

"You ready?" He asked, watching her do her usual pre-fight stretches.

"Yep," He turning and smiled, "Shoulder hurt a little bit from that fall the other night but I'll walk it off."

"Okay, don't kill yourself out there, we're fighting with Alex so you won't have to do this alone." Michael reassured.

"As long as the poliwraith doesn't get in my way or hit me with water, i'll be fine." Solstice replied, stretching her short arms behind her head.

"Okay, I'm sure Alex knows what she's doing." Michael sat down on a nearby bench after pushing an empty hockey bag onto the floor. Alex appeared in the doorway of the locker room.

"Come on love birds, get your ass in gear!" She called, "it's time for our fight."

"Alright, let's rumble." Michael said, hopping up from the bench.

"Let's rumble?" Solstice chuckled, "What the hell is this? Wrestling?"

"I don't know," He shrugged, "I thought I could have a catch phrase or something. It was stupid, wasn't it?"

"Yes." She laughed, joining Michael at the door, "And cute."

"Thanks." He rolled his eyes, holding the door open. Solstice kissed him and smirked.

"Let's rumble."

•••

"Our next contestants are Ralph and Richard facing off against Alex and Michael!" An announcer called through a PA system, signaling the trio to enter the arena. Michael nodded at Alex, taking a step into the blinding spotlights. Their eyes eyes quickly adapted to the sudden change on lights to see a large arena below the elevated platform they were standing on. Cheers and screams erupted from all around, startling Solstice. Their opponents were also greeted with cheers as they stepped onto their platform. When they entered the arena, Michael could see that their competition was of similar a age. After a few more seconds of cheering, the announcer spoke up, silencing the crowd.

"Trainers, release your pokemon." He commanded, ignoring the already-present typhlosion. Solstice leapt down from the platform and landed on the ground in a cloud of dust. Alex held her pokeball at arms length and hit a button, sending a blast of red light towards the ground. The beam quickly took the form of a poliwraith. The duo watched as they other trainers sent out their pokemon.

"Go! Haunter!"

_Haunter?!_

"Go! Swellow!"

_Swellow?!_

Michael, Alex and Solstice shared a confused and worried look.

"What the hell happened to the sandslash and machoke?" Alex asked, gesturing to the unexpected pokemon.

"I must have seen the wrong pair." He shrugged, "Solstice and I will take the swellow, you any good with ghost pokemon?"

"I think we'll manage." She replied, "Let's do this."

"Trainers, when the light turns green, you may begin the fight." The man clarified. A series of dings began, signaling the start of the count down.

_5, 4, 3, 2, 1-_

"Solstice! Flamethrower on Haunter!" He winked at the typhlosion. She immediately strafed to the left and launched a spiral of fire towards the Swellow.

"Haunter, dodg-?!" The trainer responded quickly, realize the trick they had fallen for. The crowd cheered as the fire collided with the surprised bird pokemon. The swellow was sent flying into the wall next to its trainer.

"Swellow!" He cried out, running to his pokemon's side. In a blur of flapping wings, the swellow rose off the ground. Alex yelled a command to her poliwraith, directing it towards the ghost pokemon. The haunter quickly reacted and vanished into the wall.

"Poliwraith stop!" Alex yelled, not wanting her pokemon to crash into the wall. Before it could halt to a complete stop, a hand appeared under the toad pokemon and threw it into the air. The haunter reappeared through the floor, joining the disembodied hands. Alex's pokemon continued to climb higher into the air in a dazed state.

"Solstice, catch it!" Michael pointed to his partner's pokemon. Solstice nodded and placed herself underneath the now descending pokemon.

"Oh shit." Solstice muttered, underestimating how large the poliwraith would be. The flapping of wings grabbed the typhlosion's attention. She turned around to see the swellow flying towards her at full speed. Solstice dove out it's path, giving up on trying to catch the toad pokemon. In a fit of rage, the bird pokemon continued in its original direction and flew under the poliwraith. The spectators cheered as the flying pokemon was crushed under its weight as the poliwraith finally landed. Having its fall broken, the water pokemon leapt up from the heap and nodding at its trainer. A woman in a referee outfit ran onto the arena to check the swellow's state. After a few moments of various tests, the woman gave the announcer a thumbs up.

"And swellow is unable to battle!" He announced, sending the crowd further into its yelling frenzy.

"That was easier than I thought." Alex smiled, "now we just have to take care of that hau-"

The ghost pokemon abruptly appeared behind Solstice and Alex's poliwraith.

"Solstice!" Michael yelled, making the typhlosion turn around. The haunter flew into her at full force, throwing Solstice against the wall. Hearing the commotion, the poliwraith turned around. Seeing what the pokemon had done, it lunged at the haunter. Forgetting that they were immune to these attacks, the poliwraith continued running through the haunter, earning a laugh from its trainer. A referee ran to the motionless typhlosion and crouched beside her.

_C'mon Solstice. Get up._

After a few moments, the woman gave the announcer a thumbs up.

"Typhlosion is unable to batt-"

Solstice leapt up from the floor, pushing the referee aside.

"Never mind." The announcer correctly. The crowd somehow cheered even louder than before at the sudden turn of events.

"Poliwraith! Use surf!" Alex yelled.

"Are you crazy?! What about Solstice?!" Michael yelled, pointing to the fire pokemon. Alex quickly realized her mistake

"Oh. Shit."

"Solstice! Get off the ground!" Michael yelled to the pokemon, waving his arms. Unsure of what was going on, the poliwraith followed through with the issued command and began summoning a tidal wave. Water started forming along one of the arena's edges. Seeing the soon-to-be tidal wave, Solstice began searching for a way to get off the ground. As the wave quickly grew in size, Solstice's heart sank at the featureless wall.

"Solstice! The lights!" Michael called, pointing at one of the low-hanging ceiling lights that illuminated the arena. After a quick nod in agreement, Solstice leapt into the air, and reached for one of the large lights. Her small arms failing her, she fell short of it and fell to the ground again.

_C'mon. You can do it._

Seeing the typhlosion struggle, the poliwraith held back what was now a towering wall of water. Solstice jumped for the light once again. Her paw made contact but quickly slipped, sending the pokemon crashing down to the floor. The haunter caught on to what was happening and flew towards the poliwraith. With a swing of its disembodied hand, the water pokemon was sent flying into the air. Without any restrictions, the tidal wave began crashing towards the ground and flooding the arena, quickly turning the dusty field into a sea of rushing water.

"Solstice!" Michael yelled, realizing that time had run out. The water violently swept Solstice from under her feet and dragged her underwater. After a brief moment, the Typhlosion reappeared in the chaos and was slammed against one of the arena's walls. She was quickly joined by the haunter as their heads were continually smashed against the concrete. The ghost pokemon's trainer failed to yell a command over the dominating sound of rushing water.

"Solstice!" Michael tried to yell, watching his girlfriend disappear and reappear under the water's current.

"Poliwraith! Help Solstice!" Alex yelled into the rushing water below, unsure if it could hear her. After a few more seconds of being thrown against the wall, Solstice was launched into the air, quickly followed by Alex's poliwraith. Catching her, the water pokemon landed on one of the ceiling lights. The poliwraith placed the motionless pokemon on the light and dove into the water once again. The arena's water level began to rapidly disappear into the floor. The arena was left in its original state, leaving the poliwraith and the unconscious haunter. The referee ran out once again, and checked the ghost pokemon. Her thumbs up to the announcer confirmed its defeat.

"And haunter is unable to battle! Alex and Michael are the winners and shall move on to the next round!" The voice announced, "And will a member of staff please get the typhlosion down from the lights."

•••

"I knew we'd win." Alex said smugly, "but damn, that was one hell of a battle."

"Only because you tried to kill Solstice." Michael rolled his eyes, "now she's has to spend the night in the hospital wing."

"Ha! Guess I cock blocked ya. Unless, ya know, you're into that whole concussed helpless victim thing." She laughed.

"Hilarious."

"Why don't you just take her to the pokecenter and heal her there instead?"

"She...doesn't like being in a pokeball." Michael explained, not wanting to tell her the real reason.

"I see." Alex nodded, taking the last of her things out of the the locker.

"So does this mean we got into the semi-finals?" Michael asked, not having paid attention during the briefing.

"Yep. This whole double team thing was last minute due to all the entrees." Alex explained, slamming the locker shut, "That way the competition would thin out quickly.

"Oh, cool." Michael began, "So I guess we could be pitted against each other."

"Yeah, that'd be one hell of fight." She laughed, "I mean, I'd kick your ass. But it would still be a fun fight."

"Oh yeah? I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"I guess so." Alex smirked, "You gonna go to the party tonight?"

"There's another party?" He rolled his eyes, thinking about the last one.

"Hell yeah! It's for the semi-finalists." Alex explained, putting her normal shoes on again.

"I think I'll sit this one out, I've had enough partying for one cruise."

"Your loss." Alex stood up, "you gonna go home after this?"

"I think I'll visit Solstice for a bit."

"Suit yourself, see ya."

"Bye."

•••

Michael walked through the automated sliding doors and into the almost-empty waiting room of the ship's hospital.

"Hi, I'm here for Solstice." Michael greeted the woman behind the desk.

"Oh the talking typhlosion!" The woman chirped, closing a folder-filled filing cabinet, "She made a remarkably fast recovery but she'll need to stay here for the night."

"That's fine, I'm just here to visit." He explained, looking around the waiting room.

"Okay, she's in wing C, room 3." The woman gestured towards a hospital directory.

_Woah, this place is huge._

He quickly located the wing on the map and began walking.

•••

Michael turned a corner and walked through another pair of sliding doors into a long hallway. After a quick search for room 3, he found Solstice sitting up in a bed, watching tv.

"I knew we'd win." Solstice smiled, seeing Michael enter the room. He grabbed a small stool and sat in it.

"You feeling alright?" He asked, not seeing any wounds besides the occasional bruise or cut.

"Yeah," She smiled, "Doc says that I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"Okay, good." Michael looked around the large room. Solstice leaned towards him and dropped her voice to a whisper.

"Thanks for getting me into the hospital instead of the pokecenter." She kissed him, "that place is so degrading."

"Don't mention it." Michael blushed, looking around the room. The typhlosion sat back in the reclined bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Although this place is boring as hell." Solstice sighed. Michael laughed and stood up.

"Alright, I'll leave you to your...boredom or whatever." He laughed, putting the chair back in its original place.

"Okay," Solstice smiled, "thanks for visiting, it means a lot."

"No problem."

"See ya tomorrow?"

"See ya tomorrow."

•••

Okay. So I recently regained the ability to type once again with my stitch-free wrists! I apologize for the chapter's length but I've been looking forward to the writing the next few chapters for a long time and I plan to have them make up for it. As always, reviews are appreciated! Stay tuned for the next chapter, "Sulreef City!"


	9. Sulreef City

Sulreef City

•••••••••••••••

"Hurry up, will you?" Alex complained, playing with a fruit-filled bowl on a small glass table in Michael and Solstice's suite, "the ship's been docked for the last hour. I'll be damned if we're not the only ones still on board.

"Chill out, we have the whole day to look around Sulreef City," Michael snapped, "If you're gonna sit there while we get ready, don't talk.". Alex rolled her eyes and laid back down on the couch. Solstice walked out of the bedroom, carrying 2 backpacks. She tossed one to Michael.

"Are you sure we have everything?" He asked.

"Sunblock, money, back-up money, water, snacks, guides, maps, camera, umbrella," Solstice listed, looking through the bag. Alex let out an exaggerated moan,

"Are you serious?! You could host an expedition to the top of Mt. Silver with that much stuff." She gestured to the gear, "We're going to the markets, we're buying stuff, we're coming back. What could go wrong?"

"Fine." Solstice scowled, "But don't come crying to me when you need sunblock.

"Why do even need sunblock? You're a fire-type pokemon." Alex asked, laying back on the couch.

Seeing Solstice cringed a bit, Michael gave Alex a distressed look.

"That and...you're already tanned as it is." Alex shrugged to Michael.

"Alright, we should probably get going." He interrupted, trying to change the subject, "It'll be nice to be on land. Maybe there will be someone selling pokéballs, I'd like to get more."

"Why?" Solstice asked quickly, closing her backpack.

"They might come in handy if I need to catch something."

"Fine. Whatever. Let's just go." Solstice snapped, slinging her backpack on, being careful not to set it on fire.

Alex shot Michael a confused look as Solstice quickly walked out of the room.

He shrugged and followed. Alex hopped up from the couch and ran out ahead of Michael.

"I'll catch up with Solstice, meet us in the lobby."

"Oh, uuh, yeah okay."

Alex continued running down the hallway, trying to catch up with suddenly vanished pokemon. She turned a corner and saw Solstice waiting for the elevator.

"Hey, Sol. Wait up will ya?" Alex called, joining her at the closed sliding doors, "Why'd you run out like that?"

"Out like what?" She snapped, getting inpatient at the lack of elevator.

"Well you kinda stormed out of the room."

"I was excited to get to the city."

"Oh. Okay." Alex gave up, having seen how stubborn Solstice could be in the past few days. The heavy metal doors slid open, revealing a small empty room. The duo stepped inside and pressed the 1st floor button.

"Hey! Hold the doors!" Michael called, appearing around the corner. Solstice quickly pressed the close doors button. The elevator entrance began to shrink as the doors started to shut. Michael appeared in the doorway for brief moment before the doors completely closed together.

"Oh uuh. Okay then." Alex laughed awkwardly, trying to break the ice with the clearly angered typhlosion, "Are you sure you're fine?"

"Never been better."

"Oh...good."

A quiet saxophone solo played through a speaker in the roof, adding to awkwardness of the situation. They stood in silence until it was broken by Alex.

"So is there anything you want to buy while we're here?"

"Not really. I wouldn't mind lunch." Solstice replied, still staring at the wall in front of her.

"Lunch sounds good. Let's do that first." Alex chimed, feeling happy to have gotten a less-hostile reply, "I read about this nice café in the city, it's not that far from the ship either."

"Cool."

"Is there's anything else?"

"No."

"Nothing you want to buy?"

"No."

"I'm sure you'll find something you like."

"We'll see."

"As long as it's not too expensive, Mike's pretty cheap." Alex laughed, trying to break the ice again.

"I can buy it myself." Solstice snapped.

"Oh? You have money?" Alex asked, "I didn't know you had a job."

"It's not really a job. I just sing at small gigs and bars of whatever."

"Really?! That's cool!" Alex turned to Solstice, having not heard of this until now, "Does Michael know?"

"No."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"No."

"Why not?"

A loud ding interrupted Alex's barrage of questions. The sliding doors opened to reveal Michael standing in the lobby alone.

"Didn't you guys hear me?" Michael asked, pointing to the roof.

"I guess not." Solstice replied, exiting the elevator.

Michael looked at Alex with a confused look again. Alex started following Solstice and shrugged.

"We were thinking about getting lunch at this café, you cool with that?"

"Yeah that sounds nice." He smiled, "I'm starved."

•••

"Hello and welcome to Morning Star Café" A waitress greeted the trio as they cut away from the stream of people on the road and walked into the small Café, "Sit anywhere you like."

"Thanks." Michael smiled. The small Café consisted a few round, wooden tables varying in size. A couple idly chatted at one, both drinking what looked like tea. Solstice led the group through a sliding glass door and onto to an outside patio. They sat in large wooden chairs at one of the umbrella-covered tables, placing their backpacks on the floor. Solstice yawned and ignited her back flames.

"Finally!" Solstice sighed, "I've been holding those in for 2 hours."

"Does that hurt? Having to hold em in like that?" Alex asked, not knowing much about typhlosion anatomy.

"It doesn't hurt as much as it itches" Solstice replied, leaning back in the chair. "I held it in for 5 hours once while Michael and I were on a plane to Kanto. I set off the smoke detector when I released it in the bathroom. Had to spend the rest of the flight in a pokeball". Solstice shuddered at the thought, having never liked being confined.

"Hi! Welcome to Morning Star Café" a waiter beamed, "What can I get you?"

"I'll have the BLT and earl grey tea." Alex replied, looking at the others for their answers.

"I'll have that too." Michael added, shrugging.

"That sounds nice," Solstice thought out loud, "except I'll have the BLT without tomatoes."

"Oh...Uuh. Okay." Waiter hesitantly wrote down the typhlosion's order, "3 teas, 2 BLTs and a...BL". He quickly returned to the Café through the sliding doors.

"I haven't had one of those in a while." Solstice added.

"What? Bacon and lettuce?" Alex laughed.

"You got a problem with having a BL?"

"You got a problem with tomatoes?"

"Yes, yes I do." Solstice nodded.

"Why?"

"Because they're gross."

"How?!"

Michael turned from the bickering and watched people pass by the patio. A small child pushed his way through the crowded streets to catch up with what Michael assumed was his sister in a game of tag. The occasional shopper would stop at one of the many store's display windows across the street. The S.S. Seastride's top floors just barely appeared above the city's houses. Various local flying pokemon dotted the sky, some in flocks, others alone. A few waddled around the feet of rushing citizens as they hurried to their next destination during what was likely the city's rush hour. A middle-aged couple joined them on the patio and sat at another table. After a quick exchange of glances both parties continued on with their bickering or idle chatting. A waiter emerged from the Café once again, now carrying a tray with cups of what Michael assumed was their tea.

"Here you are." He smiled, "Your food will be out shortly."

"Thanks," Michael replied, having to raise his voice over the increasingly heated argument between Solstice and Alex. Solstice blurted out something about punching Alex, signaling Michael to step in.

"Will you guys cut it out already? Tomatoes are okay, but not great. Got it?"

"Tomatoes are awesome!"

"I think you mean disgusting."

"You're disgusting."

"You couldn't win a pokemon battle for your life."

"Coming from "Miss Unconscious"!"

"I wouldn't have fainted if you hadn't tried to kill me."

"Oh, back to this again?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Michael groaned loudly, interrupting their argument. The elderly couple looked over at them, wondering what the commotion was about.

Solstice and Alex stopped talking, noticing the large amount of people passing by the patio, glancing towards them.

"We'll continue this discussion later." Solstice shot Alex a dirty look.

Alex took a small sip of her tea, having forgotten about it until now. Solstice did the same, also forgetting about the tea.

"Your sandwiches," The waiter interrupted, appearing in the doorway carrying a small platter holding their food.

"Oh sweet." Michael stopped slouching in his chair at the sight of something edible. The waiter quickly handed the trio their BLTs and BL.

"So where are we going after this?" Alex asked, taking a large bite out her lunch, "Just the market, right?"

"Yeah sounds good to me."

"Sure that works." Michael also took a bite out of his sandwich, "I'd still like to get some pokéballs." Michael said a little louder, hoping to get Solstice to react so he could figure out what her problem was before. She let out a inaudible sigh and kept eating her BL. Alex kicked Michael's leg under the table, making him jump. They exchanged glances and continued eating in silence. After a moment of searching, Michael found Solstice's available hand under the table and held it. She clenched her hand into a fist and pulled it away, still eating her sandwich. Getting the message to leave her alone, Michael returned to eating his BLT in silence.

_Well this day is off to a good start..._

•••

"This place is so busy," Solstice looked around the crowded marketplace. Each person buying, selling or looking at a variety of goods from the seemingly endless maze of market stalls. The sun beamed down intensely on the maritime city, forcing many of its citizens to take refuge under the market's many umbrellas. Vendors yelled out advertisements and sales from their stalls in a constant battle for customers. A couple at a nearby fruit stall tried to discretely stare at Solstice, most likely fearing the market's potential to parish at the hand of a irresponsible fire pokemon. Solstice continued looking around the market in the other direction, trying to ignore them. Seeing Solstice scratch the back of her paw, Alex located the source of her embarrassment

"It's not nice to stare, ya know." Alex snapped at the couple. They quickly put an apple back and walked away, muttering to each other.

"Idiots." Alex rolled her eyes.

"You don't have to do that, you know." Solstice muttered, "I've had to put up with that kind of stuff before."

"Well I think it's ridiculous." She replied, "You're more intelligent than half the people here.". A few nearby people glanced at Alex.

"So are we gonna buy something from one of these stalls or just keep walking around and get stared at?" Alex asked, gesturing around to stalls.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Michael shrugged, "I think I saw a pokéball stand back there."

"Why would you need pokéballs?" Solstice snapped.

"I don't know, they might come in handy."

"When would you need to use a pokeball?"

"If I want to, you know, catch a pokemon?" Michael shrugged at the sudden the barrage of questions, "Didn't we already go over this earlier?"

"Why would you need to catch a new pokemon?".

"I'm just gonna go back and check it out, you can just chill here if it bothers you that much." He suggested, not wanting to draw anymore attention to themselves. He turned around and began walking to the pokeball stand.

"What the hell was that about?" Alex asked, making sure that Michael was out of hearing range.

"What do you mean?"

"You just went kinda psycho at the mention of a pokeball?" She shrugged, "Do they scare you or something?"

"It's not that..." Solstice rubbed her neck, having hoped to avoid this conversation, "I just don't like the idea of Michael catching more pokemon.". Solstice and Alex sat on a nearby bench, breaking away from the stream of people.

"But he's a pokemon trainer. It's what they do." Alex explained, trying to comfort the typhlosion.

"I just...don't want to be replaced." Solstice muttered.

"Replaced?!" Alex exclaimed, "Are you kidding?"

"Well you said it yourself, it's what trainers do! They keep catching better and better pokemon and replace their old, crappy ones."

"That may be true, but you are anything but a crappy, old pokemon. You're just as much as a person as me or that guy," She pointed to a vendor, yelling something about moist towelettes , "Not to mention the fact that Michael loves you.". Solstice blushed and looked at the ground, feeling bad for her previous accusations.

"I guess you're right."

"I'm always right!" Alex announced, striking a pose. She punched Solstice's shoulder.

"You guys go great together." She smiled, "And I don't think some shitty wingull is going to get in between that."

Michael spotted them sitting on the bench and walked over.

"Hey, turns out that they were soap bars." He sighed, "Who sells pokeball-themed soap?"

Alex and Solstice got off of the bench and joined him.

"Hey, sorry for being hostile...that wasn't cool." Solstice apologized, scratched the back of her paw.

"Whatever, it's nothing." He smiled, holding her hand.

"Okay, now that that's sorted, let's find some shade, this sun is a bitch." Alex suggested, wiping a bead a sweat from her forehead.

"Help! That woman stole my pokemon!" Someone announced, grabbing the attention of nearby shoppers.

The trio turned around and located the source of the commotion; an old woman standing by a jewelry stand. They quickly joined her in hopes of helping.

"Who stole you pokemon?" Solstice quickly asked, making the woman jump.

"That woman in the black outfit!" She pointed, "She threw a black collar onto my Mr. Wiggle's neck and he started attacking me!"

Michael, Alex and Solstice spotted the thief and began pursuing her. The woman pushed her way through the crowded market, carrying a Snubble in her arm. They followed in the wake of confused citizens, ocasionally apologizing on her behalf. She turned around and noticed the trio trailing her. Realizing that they would eventually outrun her, she spun around and placed the kidnapped Snubble on the ground. The pokemon wore a thick, black ring around it's neck.

Solstice struggled to remember where she had seen the large "B" on her shirt before.

"So it's a battle you want? Fine! Go poliwr-"

"No! We an't afford any damages to the stalls. And we've seen the kind of damage your poliwraith can cause." Michael interrupted.

"And what makes you think a fire pokemon will do any less?!" Alex asked quickly.

"Solstice knows what she's doing."

"We'll see."

"Guys, it's a Snubble, it isn't exactly a powerful pokem-"

"Snubble! Use hyper beam!" The woman commanded.

_What?!_

The bright ball of light began forming in the small pokemon's mouth. Nearby viewers backed up and ran away at the mention of the destructive move.

"Solstice duck!" Michael stammered, having been caught off guard by the Snubble's queer moveset. Solstice quickly ducked as a large beam erupted from the Snubble's mouth. The attack continued into an empty orange stand, sending oranges and wooden debris through the air. Nearby people also ducked and hid behind other stands. Others quickly evacuated the area.

"Why does this Snubble know hyper beam?!" Solstice yelled over the chaos.

"It must have something to do with the collar." Alex shrugged.

"Wether that old lady gets her Snubble back in one piece or not, this thing needs to be stopped." Solstice stood up.

"Solstice, flamethrower!" Michael command the already attacking typhlosion. Solstice launched a stream of fire towards the rampant pokemon, hitting it directly. The smoke cleared, revealing an unharmed Snubble standing idly.

"What the hell?!" Solstice called to Michael gesturing to the untouched canine pokemon.

"Hit it again!" Michael shrugged. Solstice quickly obliged, sending multiple fire attacks towards the pokemon. The Snubble continued to stand, staring blankly at the trio.

"Done? Good." The woman laughed, "Mr. Muggl-"

"Mr. Wiggles!" The old lady corrected her, standing amoung the few people that hadn't evacuated the nearby area in hopes of seeing a decent pokemon fight.

"Whatever, just finish these clowns off."

The Snubble nodded and leapt into the air, towards Solstice.

"Solstice! Attack it's collar!" Alex yelled, "Quickly!"

She nodded at Alex and joined Mr. Wiggles in the air. Solstice clamped her jaw around the collar for a brief moment, before breaking it in half. The Snubble immediately stopped attacking and began falling towards the ground. Solstice quickly caught the confused pokemon and landed in a cloud of dust.

"Ha! You think you've stopped us by defeating this Snubble? This was nothing more than a field test. You haven't seen the last of me, I assure you." The woman boasted, backing away from the approaching typhlosion.

A woman in a police uniform leapt onto the thief out of seemingly nowhere and quickly immobilized her.

"Officer Jenny," She displayed her badge the restrained woman, "you're under arrested for theft, assault and destruction of public property.".

The officer quickly placed her hands into handcuffs and handed her what Michael assumed was her partner.

"You three did well, this woman's wanted for multiple accounts of theft in 7 cities across the Belvine region.

"Oh, no problem." Solstice smiled.

"Take care of yourselves!" She smiled, turning to join her partner

"Now wait just a minute!" The old lady yelled, stopping the officer.

"Yes?"

"These youngsters here saved my Mr. Wiggles from that woman. They deserved a...a key to the city!" She demanded, gesturing to the Snubble cowering behind her leg.

"It's quiet alright, we don't need a reward." Alex laughed.

"Bollocks to that." The woman muttered, walking away and waving her hands in the air.

"Thanks again!" Officer Jenny thanked, returning to her motorcycle.

"No problem." Michael laughed, watching her walk out of hearing range, "Can we go back to the ship now? I'm sick of this place."

"Sure," Alex shrugged, picking and orange up off of the floor and brushing it off. The trio began returning to the dock.

"That's where I remember her from!" Solstice suddenly exclaimed.

"The woman?"

"Yeah! I almost missed the train to the Southport City but that woman pulled me in at the last moment."

"Oh yeah! That detective guy asked us about her."

"Small world..." Alex began peeling the orange, "What do you think she meant, "You haven't seen the last of us"" Solstice imitated, "There are more pokemon thieves like her out there?"

"Probably just trying to scare us, I'm sure it's nothing."

"Yeah I guess you're right." Solstice nodded, "Let's just get back to the ship. I want to play video games."

•••

Okay so WHOOPS. I thought I posted this chapter a week ago but apparently not! Sorry about the huge delay and I am still, very much alive! Although i've been under the weather lately so the next chapter will be out in a week or so. As always, all reviews are appreciated! Stay tuned for the next chapter, "Basket Case."

-Stripedblur


	10. Basket Case

Basket Case

•••••••••••••••••••

"And Poliwraith is unable to battle! The winner is Matt and his Raichu!" The announcer declared over the cheering spectators, receiving a thumbs up from the referee kneeling besides the unconscious water pokemon.

"What?!" Alex yelled, "Are you kidding?!"

"Some people never learn." Matt laughed, fist-bumping the Raichu, "First the party and now this. You might be the worst trainer I've ever met".

"Why I outta-" She muttered, returning her Poliwraith to it's pokeball.

"Matt will be moving on to the semi-finals!" The announcer added, briefly silencing the cheering crowd. Alex shoved the shrinked pokeball into her pocket.

"See you 'round, Alex." Matt smiled, also returning his pokemon.

"Go to hell." She snapped, turning to leave the raised platform she was standing on.

"Try not to lose any more battles, okay?" He laughed.

_I've had enough of this asshole_.

Alex quickly picked a up a nearby rock from the platform. Turning around, she whipped the small rock across the arena. It hit Matt in the back of the head, making he yelp in pain. The crowd's chatter instantly dropped to a whisper.

"Whoops." She smiled, "Sorry about that.". The other competitor flipped her off and walked out of the arena, holding his head. Alex did the same.

•••

"If I knew you were THIS bad, I wouldn't have challenged you." Michael laughed.

"This is my third time playing pool, what do you expect?" Solstice snapped, lining up her shot.

_I can do this._

Holding her breath, she violently jabbed at the cue ball with the pool cue. The ball launched into the air and landed on the deck, rolling down a flight of nearby stairs. Michael held in a laugh.

"Is this yours?" Alex asked, appearing at the top of the stairs, holding the rogue pool ball.

"Oh hey, yeah it is." Michael smiled, "Sol isn't exactly the best at pool."

"I'm not much better."

"How did you do at the competition?" Michael lined up his next shot, "I assume you won?"

"Nope."

"What!" Michael and Solstice exclaimed in unison, "Why?"

"It was that guy from the party the other night."

"The one with the Raichu?"

"The very same."

"Ouch." Solstice shook her head, knocking a striped pool ball into a hole without Michael noticing.

"That sucks. I was hoping to fight you in the finals." Michael smirked, knocking a solid pool ball into a hole without Solstice noticing.

"Same."

"How did he do it?" Michael asked

"I used surf."

"And?"

"Forgot that water conducts electricity."

"Ah."

"Yeah." She sighed, "How did your fight go? I didn't get to see it."

"Good. We kicked that Dragonair's ass. Gonna rock the semi-finals!" Solstice high-fived Michael, briefly forgetting that Alex lost her fight, "Oh...sorry."

"It's cool."

The trio sat in silence for a moment, waiting for someone to start a less awkward conversation.

"I'm gonna go find a washroom on this deck, you can play for me." Solstice tossed the pool cue to Alex, "Try not to beat him too much."

"Don't worry about that," She replied, catching it, "I'm not very good."

Alex quickly lined up a shot and jabbed the pool cue at the cue ball. The white ball rapidly bounced around the table, knocking 3 striped balls into holes.

"Could have seen that coming."

•••

Solstice casually strolled along the side of the boat, idly watching avian pokemon fly around the sky, despite being far from the coast. The occasional pair of children or couple would pass by, also enjoying the cool breeze. A band could be heard on another deck below, playing some kind of smooth jazz song. It sounded to be in the middle of a saxophone solo. The slow tempo and Dbm7 chord reminded her of a song she used to sing during gigs at a local bar. She ran over the lyrics in her head.

_I want something to live for. _

_Someone to make my life, an adventurous dream._

She smiled, surprised that she remembered the lyrics.

_Oh, what I wouldn't give for someone who'd take my life_

_and make it seem as gay as they say it, ought to be_.

The music faded, quickly followed by applause. Someone announced the next song the band would play. Solstice struggled to hear what they said, being a few decks away.

"Hey,"

Solstice turned around to see a woman looming over her, making her jump.

"Oh, hi." Solstice smiled, backing up slightly.

"I couldn't help but notice that you were enjoying the music."

"Huh?" She blurted out, "Oh, yeah I like jazz."

"You have good taste in music," The woman smiled, "Better than me."

Solstice laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her paw.

"Here, you have this," She added, holding out a necklace with a small treble clef on it, "It'll suit you better than it suits me."

"Oh! Thank you." Solstice thanked, accepting the generous gift.

"Don't mention it." She smiled, "See you around!"

The woman turned around walked away, humming a song.

_What the hell was that about?"_

Solstice found a nearby window and put the necklace on, checking her reflection to see how it looked.

_That looks pretty goo-_

"Ow!" She exclaimed, feeling a sharp jab in the back of her neck, "What the hell?!"

Solstice quickly took the necklace off and threw it on the ground. Raising a paw to the back of her neck, she failed to locate the source of the pain.

_Fuck this necklace._

She picked it up and threw it over the side of the cruise ship, watching it land in the water after falling past a few decks.

The typhlosion continued her search for the deck's washroom. She turned a corner and ran into another passenger, who looked to be around the age of 70.

"Watch it old man!" Solstice yelled, holding her shoulder, "How about you make room for the living for once."

"W-what?" The old man stuttered, shocked at the pokemon's over-reaction, "Please don't hurt me."

"Ha! Like I'd waste my breath killing you. Time will do that soon enough." She laughed.

"Hey! What's your problem?" A nearby man snapped, standing up from his lounge chair, "Who died and made you queen of this ship?"

"Why don't you go back to playing with your Barbie and sit down with your ass back down before I have to kick it." Solstice smirked, gesturing to his tanning girlfriend.

"You're out of line. I'm getting security."

"Hey Solstice, what's going on?" Michael appeared from around the corner, "I heard fighting and came running."

"Are you her trainer?" The man asked, pointing to the pokemon.

"Yeah?"

"Well, your typhlosion was about two seconds away from beating up this old man." He snapped, "Get that thing in a pokeball before it kills someone."

"Is this true, Sol?" Michael asked.

"Yeah, so what? He had it coming." She laughed, "C'mon, babe,"

"Babe?"

"Let's ditch these assholes." Solstice continued, walking past Michael, towards the pool table. He turned and watched her walk out of hearing distance.

"Sorry, I don't know what got into her" He shrugged.

"Well you better figure it out soon," He replied, sitting back down, "Before you two get kicked off of the ship.

"I will." Michael turned around, "Sorry, again."

•••

"What the hell was that about!?" Michael asked, joining Solstice and Alex at the pool table. Solstice sat on the edge of the table and started passively playing with the 8 ball.

"What are you guys talking about?" Alex asked, taking a quick drink from her beer, "I could hear shit going down over there."

"I dunno, what are you talking about?" Solstice smiled innocently.

"Solstice damn near gave this old man a heart attack." He explained, gesturing to the typhlosion.

"How?" Alex laughed.

"He got in my way. Had to be put in his place." She shrugged.

"What's come over you?" Michael exclaimed, having never seen her act this way before.

"Ugh. Get off my back." She rolled her eyes, "I'm getting a beer, want one?"

"Sure." Alex replied, knocking another ball into a hole.

"I'm good."

"I wasn't asking you."

Solstice started walking towards the open bar.

"What's with Sol? Is it that time of the month or something?" Alex asked, watching a pool ball bounce around the table.

"What? No." Michael replied, "I don't think so..."

"Can pokemon even get those?"

"No idea. And I'm not about to ask."

"Fair enough." She shrugged, "Maybe you guys aren't getting it on enough."

Michael rolled his eyes, picking up his pool cue again.

"So how long did you last in the fight?" He tried to change the subject.

"About 20 minutes. It was pretty brutal. They just kept throwing punches at each other." She recalled the fight, "I had seen Poliwrath take hits before, but not like that. He was a tank."

"Sounds intense."

"It was."

"You seem awfully okay with losing." Michael lined up his shot, "What gives?"

"Long story."

"We still have a few minutes before Solstice comes back or gets thrown overboard."

"What makes you say that?" She asked, looking around the deck while Michael continued to line up his next shot.

"That." He nodded towards the bar.

"Oh." She replied, seeing Solstice fighting with the bartender over what she assumed had something to do with the lack of peanuts, "Okay."

"Well after the fight, I figured out where the asshole who beat me was staying." She explained.

"Not going to ask how."

"After I found his room, I picked the lock and got inside. At which point, I ate his snacks, ordered 3 dinners to his room, arranged a Brazilian waxing at 3 in the morning and 'forgot' to flush the toilet."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"You can pick locks?"

"Yep! Learned how to do it when I was 7. I could teach you if you want."

"I'm good." He laughed, sinking a solid ball into a hole.

"Your loss." She smirked.

"What are you laughing about?" Solstice asked, joining them at the pool table, holding a beer.

"Did you get me one?" Alex asked.

"I guess I forgot," She replied, staring at her, "Can you go get her one, babe?"

"Why are you calling me ba-"

"Just do it."

"Fine."

Solstice watched Michael walk away. She waiting until he was out of hearing range.

"Listen, bitch." Solstice began.

"Excuse me?"

"Stay away from Michael. If you he wanted to date trash like you, he would have."

"If this isn't a joke, Solstice, your getting yourself into something you don't want to." Alex warned, take a shot at the cue ball. Solstice quickly picked the ball up, making Alex lose grip on the pool cue and nearly drop it.

"What the hell is your problem?!"

"What the hell is my problem?" Solstice laughed, "What the hell is yours. If you don't stay away from him, I'll kick your ass."

"I don't believe this shit, are you really that protective? I knew you were weak, but this is just sad." Alex retorted.

"For someone so full of yourself, you seem to lose a lot of battles." Solstice smirked, staring Alex down.

"Ha! This, coming from you?" Alex asked, "You're just a pokemon playing human. Why don't you crawl back into your pokeball and learn your place?"

"Take that back."

"Go to hell, Solstice. I thought you were cool, but obviously you just an asshole."

Solstice leapt over the pool table and tackled Alex to the ground. She quickly slashed her face with her claws, leaving three thick gashes. Suddenly realizing what was happening, Alex slammed her fist into Solstice's maw, knocked her off with an audible crack.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Alex yelled, quickly standing up. Nearly every passenger on the deck was looking in their direction, shocked at what they saw. A woman quickly stood up and walking away, shielding her son's eyes. Solstice stumbled to her feet, growling. After regaining her balance after the powerful punch, she began forming a fire attack in her mouth.

"What are you doing?! You'll hurt someone!" Michael yelled, seeing what was happening. Solstice continued preparing the attack. Alex backed away, making sure to stand where the attack would do the least amount of damage.

"Do something!" She yelled, turning to Michael, who was now frantically search through his bag.

"Got it!" He yelled, pulling out a pokeball. He quickly whipped towards Solstice, engulfing her in a red beam. Within seconds, she was trapped in the ball. Michael ran over and picked it up.

"Are you okay?" He asked Alex, trying to ignore the stares the other passengers were giving them.

"Yeah, I'm more worried about Solstice. I punched her pretty hard." Alex explained, wiping a thick trail of blood from the side of her cheek.

"We'll take her to vet and figure out what's going on. You should head to infirmary, that looks pretty bad."

"No kidding."

•••

"When you release Solstice, make sure she's facing towards that wall." The vet explained, pointing to a reinforced wall in his office. "I've injected her with a sedative but the attack will still come out."

"Got it." Michael held the pokeball towards the wall. He pressed the button, releasing a flash of red light onto the floor in front of them. A motionless typhlosion appeared in the light's place, staring the wall. After a brief moment of silence, a blast of fire erupted from the pokemon's mouth. It splashed across the wall, it's orange light dominating the sizable office. Scads of small flames danced around before quickly disappearing.

"Perfect, now we can begin the examination." The vet smiled, walking up to the Solstice with a tray of various scanners and tools. The typhlosion stood completely still, slightly hunched over, holding her balled fists at her sides and staring at the wall in front of her.

"So can she...hear us?"

"Oh yes, although her motor functions don't work, she's still very much aware." He explained, scanning her with a complicated device.

"Cool." He replied, waving his hands in front of her face. Solstice's eyes moved slowly in his direction, allowing her to stare at him. A faint growling emitted from her throat.

"Oh, she can still do that too." He added.

"Oh." He backed up, "Uh, sorry."

"I'll just give her this quick injection to make sure she stays sedated." He smiled, taking a cap off of a syringe. Solstice suddenly jerked towards him, trying to slash him with her claws. Her back flames plumed out, nearly ignited Michael's shirt. She returned to her immobile state after a few more seconds of trying to move.

"She hates shots." He explained.

"I see." He nodded, "Well, we'll just have to do without it."

He quickly stabbed the syringe into her arm and injected her with a clear liquid.

"There we go." He smiled, watching her back flames die down.

"So do you know what's up with her?"

"I will in a few seconds." The vet gestured to a small hand-held monitor. Michael stood behind him and tried to make sense of the information on the screen. A small red light lit up on the monitor, followed by a large wall of text, containing a variety of graphs, diagrams and other statistics.

"So?"

"It appears that the source of her queer behavior was a parasite of some kind, via injection."

"From who?"

"I'm not sure. I don't recognize the symptoms or it's behavior patterns." He answered, "Do you know if she was under the influence of a drug at the time?"

"What? No!" He replied defensively, having never seen Solstice as the kind of person to do drugs, "l don't think so, at least."

"Well a way to counteract it won't be hard to create," He placed the monitor on the tray, "It will take a little while so you can come back tomorrow morning and she'll be back to normal."

"Okay, thanks."

"Glad to help." He disappeared behind a pair of swinging doors into a room filled with various bottles.

"Okay, Solstice. I'll see you tomorrow." He whispered, kissing her on the cheek.

_Hopefully._

••••••••••••••••

Okay! So I hoped you enjoyed the chapter! I'm personally quite happy with how it turned out. I've been spending a lot of time working on another project and school but I plan for the next chapter to be longer and hopefully better than usual! As always, all reviews are extremely appreciated! Stay tuned for the next chapter, "Good Enough."

P.S. The song Solstice was thinking about was Something To Live For by Carmen Mcrae.


	11. Good Enough

Good Enough

"So...Rabies?" Alex summarized, laying back down in her hospital bed.  
"Yeah pretty much. It would explain why she attacked you." Michael shrugged, flipping through the "Psychic Edition" of Pokémon Trainer National Magazine. He reclined in the chair he had pulled up to Alex's hospital bed.  
"I guess that's why they want me to stay here for a while." She sighed, "Well whatever it was, I'm stuck here for until my stitches settle and the drugs kick in anyways."  
"How many stitches did you have to get?" He asked, looking at the 3 slightly swollen, sewn up gashes on her cheek.  
"22." She poked one, wincing at the pain, "Hurt like a bitch."  
"No kidding."  
"Where's Solstice anyways, did you get her from the pound?"  
"Vet." He corrected.  
"Same thing."  
"Yes I did, and she was back to normal. Although incredibly ashamed about what happened."  
"As she should be."  
"I can see that you two won't be getting along any time soon?"  
"No shit." She said sternly, taking the magazine from Michael, "Until this crap heals, I'll be a little pissed."  
"You know, you also said some pretty harsh things to her." He recalled, "And punched her is the jaw. Damn near broke it"  
Alex glanced at him and gestured to the damage done to her cheek and returned to the magazine.  
"Don't you have a semi-final battle to get to?" She asked, changing the subject, "Know who you're fighting yet?"  
"No idea."  
"Are you going to use Solstice or what?"  
"I have to," He explained, "I don't have any other pokemon.  
"Oh yeah."  
"Speaking of which, I should probably head back to the room and convince her to actually enter the fight." He stood up, grabbing his bag.  
"Good luck."  
"Thanks, I guess." He started to leave the small hospital room.  
"You'll need it."

•••

Michael quietly unlocked and opened the door into his room, not wanting Solstice to hide in their room if she had left it while he was visiting Alex. The empty kitchen and living room told him that she hadn't. He took off his shoes and hung his bag on a nearby coat hook.  
"Solstice?" He called, looking around the small suite. He assumed that she was still upset, due to the lack of response. He was surprised to hear the muffled sound of running water, not having noticed it when he entered.

_I guess she's in the shower._

He slowly opened the door into the bedroom, unsure if she had left it locked. Various clothes were strewn across the floor, most of which had likely been thrown from what appeared to be Solstice's half packed suitcase. The bed looked to have been occupied by a Solstice earlier, being as the blankets and pillows had been accidentally burned and torn from her claws.

_Damn, that'll be the 4th bed set we've damaged this week._

He ignored the thought, kicked a dress aside and opened the door to the bathroom. Large cloud of steam burst out of the doorway, temporarily blinding him.  
"Can you close the door, please?" Solstice asked quietly, from somewhere in the completely steam-filled room. He obeyed, closing the door behind him, fully entering the steam room that he assumed Solstice had recently created.  
"I meant as you left." She clarified, not revealing her location in the bathroom.  
"We need to talk about this." He explained, cautiously taking a step forward. The bathroom lights illuminated the steam into a blinding sea of white. The sound of the shower grew louder with each step, allowing him to navigate to some degree.  
"I really don't want to." She replied, her voice echoing around the steam, adding to his confusion.  
"How big is this goddamn bathroom?"  
"You'd be surprised." Solstice answered, "Took an hour to get it like this."  
"No kidding, can you just tell me where you are?" He asked, without receiving a response. He suddenly noticed an orange glow to his left.

_She must in the shower, creating the steam..._

He wandered towards the light, seeing the orange silhouette of the shower come into view. He finally arrived at the source of the room's current state. Solstice was sitting in the shower, letting the water hit the flames on her back, creating steam.  
"Hey." Solstice greeted, staring blankly infront of her.  
"Are you okay?"  
"I'm sitting in a shower, turning our stupidly large bathroom into a steam room." She summarized the situation, "You tell me."  
"Got it." He nodded, sitting next to her, on the other side of the glass wall.  
"Yeah."  
They sat in silence for a minute, both staring into the white cloud that occupied the room.  
"You know, what you did wasn't your fault. You weren't yourself." He explained, resting his head against the shower.  
"Yes, it was."  
"You're wrong."  
"Even if I am, who's to say it won't happen again?" The typhlosion exclaimed, her back flames pluming out a bit more, "Alex is right."  
"About what?"  
"About me just being a pokemon playing human. I try so hard to fit in, so hard to act like everyone else. Then halfway through the game I snap and try to attack everyone. I should just be in a pokeball like every other fucking typhlosion. I'm no different."  
"Last time I checked," Michael began, "I don't think I've seen another typhlosion co-own an apartment, have a job, sit through what could possible be the worst paid-for dinner in history, and have a boyfriend that loves her more than anything."  
Silence quickly filled the room, only accompanied by the sound of running water. Michael tried multiple times to continue reassuring her but struggled to think anything sincere enough to follow up what he had previously said. His train of thought was broken by the abrupt sound of an opening door.

_I guess she had gotten up at some point_

The steam-filled room slowly emptied, leaving Solstice and Michael alone. He assumed that Solstice had been an emotional wreck since he brought her home, seeing her mangled fur. She quickly sat next to Michael; resting her head of his shoulder out of fatigue. They remained quiet for a few minutes.

_I think she fell asle-_

"Thanks." She whispered. He rested his head on hers. Solstice let out a sigh, the flames on her back grazed Michael's shirt. He felt the top of her head begin to warm up, forgetting that she did when she relaxed. Solstice had often helped keep him warm during winter when they were younger. They had set his bed sheets on fire on more than one occasion doing this, pushing his mother to place a ban on having the cyndaquil in his bed. That was, of course, before she knew how to speak for herself. His train of thought was broken when the typhlosion stirred slightly. He checked to see of she had fallen asleep. Her eyes lazily opened when he leaned forward.  
"Going somewhere?"  
"Just seeing if you were asleep." He explained, "Staying right here."  
"Good." she smiled, quickly kissing him before sitting up, resting her back against the glass shower door, "Sometimes I wonder why you put up with me."  
"It has its benefits." She laughed.  
"Like?"  
"Well," He paused, "I save money on my heating bill, I have a way of cooking food if our oven brea-"  
Solstice punched him in the arm playfully.  
"But really, why do you put up with this." She gestured to the lingering steam in the air.  
"I've got my reasons." He replied, discretely checking his watch.  
"You know," He said quietly, losing track of time, "We have to be at the arena for the semi-finals in...30 minutes."  
"Yeah?"  
"We can drop out if yo-"  
Solstice stood up, using the shower for balance.  
"C'mon, we've got a fight to win." She smiled, her attitude taking a sudden turn for the better. Michael joined her.  
"I should probably fix myself before we leave though."  
"I don't know, I kinda of like the messy fur look." He thought out loud, watching her fix her fur from the bedroom.  
"Calm down, we got a fight to win first." She smirked, "Then we'll see."  
"Fair enough." He laughed. Solstice joined him in the bedroom and pushed him onto the bed. She continued walking into living room, ignoring him. He hopped up and joined her by the front door. He grabbed his bag and held the door open. She briefly stopped in the doorway.  
"Let's rumble."

•••

"So how much bigger is this arena supposed to be?" Solstice asked, walking around the pre-battle room they had been assigned.  
"Not sure," He replied, "Judging by the amount of spectators I saw and the fact that we have our own prep room, at least double the size."  
"Seriously? This is gonna wicked!"  
"Oh yeah?"  
"Yeah!" She danced in place, "I'll be able to do some serious damage with more space."  
"Good." Michael nodded, running over different scenarios in his head, "We've never gotten this far in a competition before and I think we can win."  
"Don't have too much faith." Solstice said sarcastically.  
"You're right," He sat down on a bench, "I'm sure you'll do fine."  
"So do you have any idea who we're fighting yet?"  
"Some kid named..." He reached into his pocket, quickly checking a small slip of paper they had been given, "Max Aldrin. Know him?"  
"The name sounds familiar."  
"Yeah, I know what you mean." He stood up from the bench, "I'm sure I've heard before."  
"Well regardless, his ass is as good as knocked out." The typhlosion laughed, "I'm gonna do some fire warm ups, so if you want to leave the room for a bit, it's up to you."  
"Why would I want leave the room?"  
"I don't know, it can get pretty hot." Solstice explained, blowing out a small burst of fire from her mouth.  
"Oh yeah?" He smiled deviously.

_Oh my god what did I just say?_

"What?"  
"How about you show me just how uh, hot it can get" He said, trying to sound seductive. His lack of experience backfired harshly, resulting in a mess of stuttering and awkward eyebrow movements.

_Stupid stupid stupid._

"Okay, what's up?"  
"What do you mean?" He asked, his uncharacteristic smile instantly fading.  
"You know damn well what i'm talking about." She crossed her arms, "The innuendo. You sound hornier than a teenager who just discovered porn."  
"Yeah you're right..." Michael dropped his poor excuse for an act, sitting down on the bench again, "Sorry about that."  
Solstice sat next to him, grabbing her water bottle.  
"So," She began, taking a quick drink, "What's up?"  
"Well Alex-"  
"I see." She interrupted.  
"Yeah..."  
They sat in silence for a few moments, trying to figure out to how approach the topic.

_I must have sounded so stupid. That's the last time I take advice from Alex._

"I didn't realize that it meant so much to y-"  
"It doesn't." He spoke up, cutting Solstice off, "Trust me, I couldn't care less about it."  
Solstice smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.  
"You've been so patient..." She trailed off, "I know a lot of people don't usually wait as long but so many relationships get ruined by rushing into it."  
Solstice trailed off again, piecing together her next sentence.  
"We've only been dating for a week or so, and I already can't imagine my life without you." She quickly fell silent again, taking a long drink of water.

_Tell her that you love her._  
_No, don't. It's too soon._

He glanced at Solstice, who was blankly staring at the wall.

_Is it? How long are you supposed to wait?_  
_I wish Alex was here, she'd know about this kind of thing._

Solstice sat up on the bench, looking at the clock on the wall.  
"It's quarter to 2," She stood up, "We should prob-"  
"I love you."

_Oh shit. Not good. What if she thinks it was too soon...was it is too soon?_

Solstice laughed.

_What?_

"And?" She asked, chuckling.  
"Well...uh...what?  
Solstice helped Michael stand up.  
"You've put up with all of my shit, sat through the worst date in history, watched me attack your friend and still wanted to date me." She smiled, "I'm pretty you'd have to be in love someone to do that."

_Huh._

"Now c'mon, lover boy." She nodded to the clock, "Our battle should be starting soon and Max isn't gonna lose to himself."  
"Lead the way."

•••

"So, this is who we're fighting? Shouldn't be too difficult." Solstice laughed, seeing their opponent standing on the opposite side of the significantly larger pokemon arena. He assumed that they were moved to accommodate the also significantly larger crowd of spectators. A scrawny kid, no older than 12 stood on the other platform, looking around at the cheering fans.  
"Don't let your guard down," Michael warned, "He got this far so he could be using anything."  
"Good point," She nodded, "He seems kind of...relaxed for just a kid. Even with all the people watching."  
The crowd fell silent as the announcer stood up to his podium overlooking the arena.  
"Welcome to the semi-finals, ladies and gentlemen!" He began, pausing for the crowd to cheer wildly.  
"Geez, I wonder what the finals are gonna be like." Solstice turned to Michael.  
"I guess we'll just have to find out ourselves."  
"Our first contestant today comes all the way from the Hoenn region. He's been the reigning champion of the International Poketournament for 3 years...Max Aldrin!"  
The crowd applauded and cheered for him loudly. He smiled and waved at them, bowing a few times.  
"Oh." Solstice muttered, "It's that Max Aldrin."  
"Shit." Michael added, finally recognizing their opponent from a magazine article he had read recently.  
"And on this side of the arena, all the way from the Belvine region..." The announcer paused, double checking the name with another judge, "I.C. Weiner."  
The once rowdy crowd was replaced with the occasional cheer and clap for the awkwardly named duo.  
"Oh yeah..." Solstice laughed, "I forgot about that."  
"Okay contestants, send out your pokemon!" He announced.  
Solstice leapt from the platform and landed on the arena floor, bearing a large picture of an ultra ball and the S.S. Seastride's logo. Michael returned his attention back to Max, to see what pokemon he would use.  
"Go! Typhlosion!" He yelled, throwing a pokeball into the air. A beam of red light erupted from the device, quickly taking the form of another Typhlosion on the arena floor.

_Uh oh._

"At the sound of the buzzer, you may begin!" The man announced, waiting for a thumbs up from a referee.  
A series of loud beeps began ringing loudly, silencing the crowd once again.

_1, 2, 3, 4-_

A deafening buzzer rang from the numerous speakers in the arena.  
"Solstice!" Michael yelled, "Fire punch!"  
Solstice sprinted towards the other typhlosion, amassing a cloud flames around her fists.  
"Typhlosion! Fire punch!" Max mimicked loudly.  
His typhlosion began sprinting towards the approaching Solstice, also building a ball of fire in its fists. They collided in the center of the arena, quickly followed by a large explosion of fire and smoke. Both pokemon were hurled from the explosion, landing on their backs with an audible crack. Some of the spectators cheered for the devistating blow, others gasped and exclaimed in concern for the potentially injured typhlosions. Solstice leapt to her feet, quickly recovering from the attack. The cloud of smoke cleared, revealing the other typhlosion also standing on the opposite side of the arena.

_How in the hell?!_

"Solstice, are you okay?"  
"I'm fine."  
"You're gonna have to rely on physical, non-fire attacks for this one." He called quietly, making sure that their opponent couldn't hear their strategy.  
Solstice nodded and cracked her knuckles.  
"Try to figure out which side is their weak one, and stay on it."  
"Anything else?"  
"Yeah, use quick attack!" He commanded, hoping to take their opponent by surprise.  
Solstice dashed towards the other typhlosion in a blur of white and orange.  
"Dodge it!" Max quickly ordered, practically predicting the sudden attack. His typhlosion leapt to the side, Solstice's fist barely grazing its arm. Max's pokemon quickly followed up with a kick to Solstice's gut, knocking her out of her quick attack's path and towards a wall. She quickly slowed her sprint, feeling dizzy from the unsuccessful attack and her kicked gut. Solstice regained her posture and locked eyes with the other typhlosion. They jumped at each other, colliding in the air. Being slightly stronger, Solstice managed to land on top of the other pokemon. Raising an arm, her fists ignited in a burst of flames. Her attack was interrupted when the other typhlosion slammed its fist into her jaw. Solstice's body fell limp, falling on her side

_Oh shit. Not her jaw again._

A referee ran into the arena, quickly crouching next to the potentially unconscious pokemon. The crowd fell uncharacteristically silent.

_C'mon Solstice. Get up._

Max's typhlosion stood up, brushing its mangled fur back into place. It stared at Solstice, unsure if she whether she was able to continue fighting. The referee began to raise his arm to confirm the pokemon's inability to fight. Solstice quickly regained conscious and pushed his arm back down.  
"And it appears that Solstice is still able to fight!" The announcer called, sending the crowd into a fit of cheering. Solstice leapt to her feet, cracked her neck and turned to the other pokemon.  
"Oh good, I like a challenge." Max laughed, smirking at Michael, "Typhlosion, try not to hurt her too much."  
His pokemon nodded, quickly sprinting towards Solstice. It swung its arm violently, aiming for her jaw again. Solstice quickly ducked and kicked it in the gut with enough force to sending flying into a wall.  
"Are you kidding me?!" Max yelled, "We didn't win 3 championships to lose to these idiots!"  
Typhlosion quickly jumped up from the floor and leapt towards Solstice again, bearing his teeth.  
"Solstice! Watch out!" Michael yelled.  
Solstice spun around at instinctively released a funnel of fire, engulfing the other Typhlosion. It was launched into the wall for the second time, leaving cracks in the concrete.  
"Nice one!" Michael cheered along with the crowd. The referee ran into the arena again, crouching beside the typhlosion.  
"Get up you good for nothing shit!" Max yelled, silencing some of the audience in shock, "Get the fuck up or so help me!"  
The referee gave the referee a thumbs up, signaling end of the match. The crowd erupted in cheers at the turn of events.  
"Dammit!" Max yelled.  
"Typhlosion is unable to battle! I.C. Wiener will move onto the finals!" The announcer announced, "And will security please remove Mr. Aldrin from the arena."

•••

Michael stood in the arena lobby, watching the current battle between a leafeon and a glaceon on one of the many tv screens. The glaceon appeared to be winning, but based on his own battle, a fight can turn around in a matter of seconds. He glanced over his should at Solstice, who was standing in front of a vending machine. She began kicking it, likely due to the machine's inability to give her a bag of BBQ chips. She crouched down and reached up into the machine, her short arms preventing her from stealing the snack. He turned back to the screen. The glaceon knocked the grass pokemon into the air with an ice beam attack.  
Muted clapping came from the arena, signaling the match's end.  
"And leafeon is unable to battle!" The judge announced over the P.A. system, "Lilly will be moving onto the next round!"  
A few nearby contestants exchanged money in what likely was a bet on who would win the fight.  
"Excuse me?" A stern voice startled Michael.  
He spun around to see Solstice standing next to one of the ship's security officers.  
"Is this your typhlosion?" He gestured to Solstice.  
"Ty!" Solstice exclaimed, doing her best typhlosion impression.  
"Uuh," He stuttered, "Yeah?"  
"Well I caught it trying to steal from one of the vending machines" He explained.  
"No-" Solstice began, quickly biting her tongue, "Ty!"  
"I'm very sorry," Michael apologized.  
The three of them stood in silence for a few moments.  
"Well?" The officer asked, "Are you going to put it in a pokeball?"  
"Oh! Uh, yeah" He stuttered again. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a pokeball and pointed it towards Solstice.  
"Sorry." He whispered, returning her to the pokeball that she hated so much.  
"Okay, don't let it happen again." The officer warned, walking away. Michael watched him turn around a corner and quickly scrambled to let Solstice out. He pressed the button, releasing a flash of red light.  
"Ty!" She yelled, appearing from the red blur.  
"He's gone."  
"Well it's about time!" She sighed, "I thought he'd never leave."  
"That was a pretty good typhlosion impression."  
"Years of practice." She laughed, "I still didn't get my chips."  
"Here," Michael reached into his pocket, pulling out a dollar.  
"I don't want your money." She said, walking towards the vending machine again, "This is personal.".  
Michael sighed and returned to the T.V. Monitor. A fierce battle had begun between a Hitmonchan and a Hitmonlee. It was hard to see which was winning through the flurry of punches and kicks.  
"Excuse me, are you...I.C. Wiener?" Someone asked  
"Uuh, yeah?" He spun around to see a man in a suit.  
"Ah, well i've been asked to inform you that you've been invited to a dinner tonight, exclusively for finalist." He explained, handing him an envelope, "It would be a good chance to get to know your fellow finalists."  
"Oh cool." He chimed, slipping the envelope into his pocket.  
"There will be live entertainment"  
"Like what?"  
"We have the world-class jazz singer, Emma Matlock." He explained, "Do hope you can attend."  
He turned and began walking away.  
"Oh wait," Michael called, stopping him, "Am I allow to bring a guest?". The man nodded and continued his leave.

_Sounds fun._

"Hey, guess what I got." Solstice joined him, "Free chips. No need to thank me.". She tossed him a half-empty bag of BBQ chips, opening another for herself.  
"Sweet." He said, reaching into his pocket, "We got invited to a dinner for finalists in the tournament."  
"Oh really?"  
"Hell yeah!" He gave her the envelop, "Sounds fancy as hell."  
"Sounds like free food." She eat a handful of chips.  
"That too."  
She wiped her hands on her leg and opened the envelop. Unfolding a piece of paper, she began reading it over.  
"Says it's formal. Looks like we're dressing up again." She read. "Oh! Emma Matlock will be there! I love her music."  
She continued scanning over the invitation,  
"Get this! It's at The Zen Garden. Think they'll recognize us there?"  
"Hopefully not." he muttered, recalling their previous date at the restaurant, "So we're gonna go?"  
"Hell yeah we are." She turned to leave the lobby, "C'mon, we got fancy shit to put on."

•••

"Name, please." A waiter asked, standing behind a podium.  
"Mic- Uuh, I.C. Wiener." Michael answered, remembering his alias. The waiter quickly scanned through his large book, eventually finding his name.  
"Ah yes, please follow me." He smiled, stepping into the restaurant. Solstice and Michael quickly followed him. The Zen Garden's familiar orange lights around the room's edges gave them a sense of deja vu. The tables were filled with the other finalist and their guests; each chatting about their fights and strategies. A group of people set up various jazz instruments on stage. Solstice looked around the restaurant for Emma Matlock, wanting to ask her a few questions.  
"Will it just be the two of you?" The waiter asked.  
"Yeah."  
"Very well." He replied, "Here you are."  
He gestured to the table they had previously sat in last time they were here.  
"Thanks." Solstice sat down, still looking for the famous jazz singer.  
"Looking for Emma?" Michael asked, also sitting down.  
"Yeah." She replied, "I'm gonna go look for her."  
"Why do you want to meet she so badly?" He scanned over the menu.  
"Uuuh." She stammered, not wanting to tell him about her singing, "I was hoping to get her autograph. So I could...sell it."  
"Cool." He struggled to see something he wanted from the menu again, "Are you okay with nachos again?"  
"Yeah, whatever." She stood up and wandered off. A few passengers stared at the potentially lost typhlosion as she looked around the restaurant.

_Where' could she be?_

She noticed the stares she was receiving and began scratching the back of her paw.

_Maybe she's outside._

Solstice pushed by a group of people being denied entry on her way out of The Zen Garden.  
"I'm sorry, but this restaurant has been reserved for finalist in the Pokémon tournament!" A waitress explained to an angry woman, "If you want entry, you'll have to be with a contestant."  
Solstice ignored the feud and continued her search for the jazz singer. Turning a corner, she ran into a tall man in a suit.  
"Oh sorry about that." She apologized. He waved his hand in her face and pointed to a cell phone he was using.  
"Oh, sorry" She whispered.  
"What do you mean she's sick?!" He exclaimed into the phone, "Emma Matlock is supposed to perform tonight at this dinner."  
Solstice jumped at the mention of Emma Matlock.  
"Well if I can't find a replacement, it's on your ass." He hung up abruptly.  
"Excuse me, did you say Emma Matlock?" Solstice asked, grabbing his attention. He jumped slightly when he realized that she could talk.  
"Yes, I'm her manager."  
"She's sick?"  
"Unfortunately." He nodded.

_Dammit._

"Say..." He began, sizing up the typhlosion, "Have you ever sung before?"

_What?!_

"Well, uuh." She stuttered, surprised at the question, "I sing at local bars sometimes for money. And I can get 100% on a lot of songs in Mic-Hero 3."  
He shrugged, not knowing what that was.  
"It's a video game."  
"Oh!" He exclaimed, still sizing up the pokemon. "How would you like to sing in Emma's place?"  
"Really?!"  
"Yeah, are you familiar with her songs?"  
"Absolutely! I'm a huge fan."  
"Perfect." She clapped his hand together, "Go back stage and get mic'd up. I'll tell them you're coming."  
He turned and walked away, pulling out his cell phone again and calling someone.

•••

_Where did Solstice get to?_

Michael scanned the room, tossing a nacho chip into his mouth. He gazed into the half-empty, checkered napkin-lined basket that had once been brimming with their, or rather his, dinner. He ignored the occasional stare he received, either due to his large portion or nachos, or his lack of companion. Michael took a sip of his water, the cold was a refreshing break from the various spicy peppers. He glanced at the stage, watching a few people run around it, making the final adjustments for the band. Pulling out his rarely used Pokégear from his pocket, he searched for something to pass the time until Solstice returned or the band began playing.

_Map..._  
_Pokedex..._  
_E-mail_  
_Clock..._  
_Phone..._

Michael shrugged and tapped the [PHONE] icon. He scrolled down his list of contacts, realizing how few he had. Stopping on Alice's name, he decided to see how she was doing.

.

...

"Hello!?" A voice asked, practically yelling into the device.  
"Oh! Hey Al! It's Mike."  
"Mike? Whatsup?" She chimed, "Hows the cruise?"  
He quickly swallowed a nacho, "Fun. I'm just waiting for Solstice to get back."  
"From?"  
"Don't know."  
"I se- dammit hang on." She intrurupted herself, "Pidgeotto! Use Steel Wing!"  
"Are you in a battle?!"  
"Yeah?" She replied  
"Should you be focusing on that instead?"  
"Yeah, I guess so." She laughed, "Anyways, how's Solstice?"  
"Good! We're dating now." He forgot that she didn' know about the recently relationship advancement.  
"Huh, didn't know you felt that way about her," She pondered, "Cool."  
"Yeah. So who are you battling?"  
"Carl Busch."  
"The 5th gym leader?!" He exclaimed.  
She paused for a moment to issue a command to her pokemon, "Yeah, me and Jamie have been kicking ass!"  
"No kidding. Well good luck to the two of you."  
"Thanks, I'll see ya when you get back!"

_*Click*_

He closed the call screen and debated whether to call someone else. He decided against it and returned to the Pokegear's menu.

_Clock..._  
_Phone..._  
_Contacts..._  
_Music..._  
_I guess I could listen to his Matlock person's music before she sings._

He tapped the screen again, typing in her name off of memory.

_E-Liz-a-Beth Mat-Lok...got it._

A bright green light appeared the screen, indicating a song by Emma Matlock was found. He chose the first, and most listened to of her songs. After a moment of buffering, the song began. A few chords from a piano were played, followed by a steady drum beat.  
"We used to leave the blue lights, on. And there was a beat." A voice, who Michael assumed was Emma, sang softly, "Ever since you have been, gone. It's so caffeine free and so unfatigue, said it all before."  
A trumpet blared out a few melodic notes, slightly mimicking Emma's last phrase.  
"You try to kick at their feet, fall asleep, yet no harm done." She held the last note for a seconds before continuing, "But, no one here wants to fight me, like you do."

_She's pretty good._

A few people started clapping as a woman walked onto stage. Michael looked around the restaurant for Solstice, not wanting her to miss the show.

_She said she was looking for that singer. Maybe she found her._

He eat a few nachos, but restrained himself, wanting to save some for the missing pokemon.  
"Ladies, gentlemen and finalists, welcome to the Finalist Dinner!" The woman welcomed everyone, standing on the stage which was occupied by various instruments and the musicians that played them. Michael took note of the lack of a singer standing in front of the mic stand

_I wonder where the singer is. I hope Solstice isn't keeping her busy._

"Tonight, we have world famous sing-" She started to say before being stopped and corrected by a person who ran on stage. They disappeared through the restaurant's back door just as quickly as they had appeared.  
"Ahem." She grabbed everyone's attention again. "Tonight, we have...a not-so-famous part time singer!"  
Various conversations started between people around the restaurant, their low volume indicated that they weren't saying anything pleasant about the change in vocalist.  
"Please welcome, Solstice!"

_Solstice?!_

Solstice cautiously walked onto the stage, adjusting a large pink lotus flower that covered her ear. Applause filled the room, many people were quietly talking about the oddity of a typhlosion singing. Scratching the back of her paw, she approached the microphone stand.  
Solstice tapped it twice, confirming that it was on.  
"Hey everyone," She smiled, followed by a hesitant wave, "I hope everyone is enjoying the food. I can't wait to eat my...nachos..." She trailed off, quickly snapping back from the thought of eating what could be considered the greatest plate of nachos ever created.  
"I'll be taking the place Emma Matlock, who is unfortunately under the weather."

_I guess that's where she disappeared to._

Hesitant clapping filled the room again. Michael overhead a conversation at a nearby table.  
"She speaks English so fluently. And such a nice voice too."  
"Yeah, I hope she can sing as well as she can talk."  
He shrugged it off and returned his focus back to the stage as the entire restaurant quieted down.  
The drummer started playing an upbeat tempo on the small jazz set. The basest quickly joined in, strumming out a rich-sounding melody from her Upright Bass.  
"How many times have I been told, that I don't know now it's personal." Solstice sang beautifully, surprising everyone.

_I didn't know she could sing..._

Pianist played a series of loud chords and mimicked the upright bass's melody. Quickly following was a short saxophone solo, acting as a filler.  
"I don't know when I lost my mind, I feel six-feet tall and the world looks small." She continued, the instruments playing slightly quieter, "My head does ache and I feel weak. Maybe, it's a virus." Solstice held the last note for a few moments, followed by a series of saxophone and piano notes.  
"And it started when I first saw you, your glassy eyes, of chartreuse blue. You, stole my heart, now it don't thump right, hopeless."

_Wow. I wonder why she didn't tell that she could sing before._

Michael glanced around, curious to see the other finalist's reaction. A few seemed to recognize the song, and quietly sung along with Solstice. Everyone else was either tapping their feet or fingers. A couple exchanged money in what was likely a bet as to whether the typhlosion could sing or not.  
Michael drank the last of his scotch and soda and placed the empty glass on the table.  
"Would you like another?" a waitress asked, noticing his lack of drink.  
"Sure, thanks." He handed her the glass, returning his focus back to Solstice.  
"I heard her sing backstage," The waitress added, admiring the pokemon, "She's quite good, isn't she."  
"Yeah...she is."  
"Do you know her?"  
"Yeah, I'm her partner." He explained, meaning it in both senses of the word.  
"Well, you're a lucky person." She smiled, walking away to get him another drink.

_I guess I am..._

•••

Michael stepped out of the restaurant when Solstice finished her last song on stage. He was met with a cool breeze, a refreshing break from the stuffy air inside. He glanced into the night sky at the sound of a bird pokemon. As he had assumed, a small flock of wingull circled the top of the ship. A couple pushed by him, talking about Solstice's performance.  
"I wasn't expecting that at all." The woman said, "It was very impressive..."  
"I know, she has such a wonderful voice." Her partner agreed.  
Michael made a mental note to tell Solstice what they had said when they met up. A nearby finalist was boasting to a small group of people about how he flawlessly won a battle. He ignored it, returning to the task at hand; finding Solstice.  
He looked around the deck, trying to see any sign of a Typhlosion through the scattered crowds of passengers. A complex net of fabric-covered lights hung above the deck, giving it a warm orange color and feel.

_Solstice would like this..._

"Hey," A familiar voice spoke from behind him.  
He spun around to see Solstice scratching her paws, "Hey!"  
He embraced her in a hug.  
"You were awesome!" He broke away, "Why didn't you tell me you could sing?"  
"I don't know, I thought you'd find it stupid or something."  
"Are you kidding? That was really impressive! I just heard a couple talk about how impressed they were." He recalled the brief conversation, "I assume that wasn't the first time you've performed?"  
"I sometimes sing at a bar down the street from our apartment." She admitted  
"Puzzle's?"  
"That's the one."  
"Awesome!" He smiled, having been to the bar before, "We should probably get back to the room before people mob you for autogr-"  
"Hey," An also familiar voice called from behind the couple. They turned around to see Alex standing in her regular clothing, having changed from her hospital gown at some point.  
"Oh...hey, Alex" Solstice stammered, lowering her head, feeling wave of guilt pass through her.  
"I heard you sang..."  
"Yeah...?"  
"Yeah..." She replied, walking closer to the duo, "Everyone is talking about the amazing singing Typhlosion."  
"Huh..."  
"Yeah..."  
Sensing the need of privacy, Michael turned and began to walk away, "I'm just gonna go somewhere that isn't here."  
Solstice and Alex watched him walk away, towards a small bar.  
"Listen, I'm so sorry for what happened the other day."  
Solstice apologized, feeling a tightness in her chest, "I don't know-"  
"Don't be," She stopped her mid-sentence, "It wasn't your fault, it was the rabies or...whatever."  
"Oh Michael told you?"  
"Yeah."  
"So we're cool?"  
"We're cool." She smiled, "Besides, these look bad ass.". She gestured to the wound.  
Solstice waved Michael over.  
"Everything cool?"  
"Yep."  
He clapped his hands together, "Good! You two up for some video games?"  
"Sure, why not." Alex shrugged.  
"Lead the way."

•••••••••••••  
Incredibly sorry for the delay on this! School and exams and all that stuff kept my pretty damn busy for the last few weeks. But I digress. I hoped you liked this extra-long chapter! I had been looking forward to writing this one for a while. As always, all reviews are appreciated! Stay tuned for the next (and final) chapter, "Blackout"

P.S. The two songs that I used in this chapter are "Combat Baby" by Metric and "Maybe It's a Virus" by Julia Haltigan and the Hooligans

-Stripedblur


	12. Blackout

Blackout

••••••••••••••  
After a plethora of corrected typos, an accidental deletion and 2 months of general laziness, please enjoy the final chapter of Hook, Line, and Sinker.  
••••••••••••••

"Erik versus John, Jeff versus Ashley, Claire versus Charlie," Michael read through the pairs for the last few rounds in the tournament, trying to locate his own, "Matt versus I.C. Wiener!"

Solstice sat up from the couch in their room at the sound of his fake alias.

"Matt?" She asked, getting up from the couch and joining Michael in the kitchen, "Isn't that the person with the Raichu that knocked Alex out of the competition?"

"Yeah I think so." He put the slip of paper on the kitchen island, "All the more reason to win, I guess."

Solstice nodded, "He'll probably be using his Raichu so at least we can anticipate what we're up against."

She grabbed an apple from the nearby metal basket and wiped it on her fur.

"Just make sure to stay away from that thunderbol-"

Michael was interrupted by a knock at their door. He hopped off of the stool and opened it. Alex walked in, ignoring Michael.

"Nice to see you too." He smiled.

"Oh. I didn't see you there." She shrugged, "Know who you're fighting yet?"

"Yeah...that Matt guy."

Alex stopped walking at turned to Michael, "You serious?"

"Yeah." He handed her the slip of paper.

"Well I'll be dammed." She crossed her arms, "I still owe him a few hundred."

"I thought we cleared your debt." Solstice recalled their previous fight.

"We got into another fight after he knocked me out of the competition and I lost." She explained, "Again."

"Why do you keep fighting him if you both keep using the same pokemon?"

"Bastard had it coming."

"And why is that?"

"Said I wasn't a good pokemon trainer." She took Michael's seat, "Which we all know isn't true, right?"

Michael and Solstice fell silent.

"Fuck you guys." She muttered.

"When's the fight anyway?" Solstice quickly changed the subject.

He quickly scanned the paper, "It's at three."

"That's few hours away." Alex checked the clock.

"Is it being held in last arena we fought in?"

"How many arenas does this freaking ship have?!" Alex exclaimed, also grabbing an apple and taking a bite.

"Apparently three, we're fighting in the one on the fifth floor."

"I heard it's huge. Like, pokemon league huge." Solstice finished the apple and threw the core into a garbage bin across the room.

"Well we should probably go and check this place out."

"Agreed."

"I'll tag along." Alex shrugged, also finishing her apple. She threw it across the room and watched the core bounce off of the rim of the garbage bin and onto the floor.

She shrugged, "I'll pick that up...later."

•••

Michael, Solstice and Alex walked along the side of the ship, enjoying the breeze. They turned a corner and walked up a flight of stairs. A large number five had been painted onto the wall, indicating that they were on the fifth floor. They continued walking along the edge of the ship until coming across a large pair of glass doors opening directly onto the arena floor. The trio wandered inside, realizing how large it was.

"This has got to be at least twice the size of the last one." Michael laughed

"No kidding," Solstice nodded, her voice echoing around the spacious room. Large ceiling lights hung from the roof, as they did in the other arenas. Thick concrete walls lined the arena floor, ready to withstand any attack a pokemon could use. The ship's logo was printed on the center of the floor, along with the basic markings of a pokemon arena.

"I don't see a platform for the trainers to stand on, so I guess I'll be standing on the floor." Michael noted.

"Just means I don't have to wait to kiss you when we win." Solstice winked.

"Hey losers." A familiar voice chimed from behind them.

_Matt..._

The trio turned around to see Matt smiling smugly at the entrance to the arena with his Raichu.

"What do you want?" Alex snapped.

"Easy there, Not looking for a fight, toots."

Alex clenched her fist, only to have it held back by Michael.

"Can we help you?" He asked.

"I'm sure you know that we'll be fighting in the first round of the finals." He gestured to the arena scoreboard.

"And?" Solstice snapped, turning back around to continue looking at the arena.

"Just sizing up the competition, that's all." he smiled innocently, "I heard one of the contestants in this competition had a gross pokemon fetish. Didn't think it'd be you."

Solstice spun around and slammed her fist into his chest, sending him flying onto his back. His Raichu quickly kicked Solstice in the gut, defending it's trainer. Solstice recovered from the blow and tackled the electric pokemon onto the ground. A ball of fire began forming in the typhlosion's mouth.

Michael scrambled through his bag until he found Solstice's pokeball. He whipped it in her direction, capturing her in a flash of red light. The Raichu leapt up and began looking for it's missing attacker. Matt awkwardly stood up and did the same.

"The judge'll hear about this." He threatened, running away.

"Wimp."

"Whatever, let's just go find somewhere that we can release Solstice without hurting anyone."

"Why not face her overboard?" Alex nodded towards the edge of the ship. Michael walked out of the arena and held the pokeball towards the water. He pressed the button and hoped that she was facing the direction they wanted. Sure enough, Solstice appeared from the flash of red facing the water. After a second of uneventful silence, an explosion of fire erupted from her mouth, making a few passengers on the lower deck yell in surprise. Solstice looked around quickly, examining her changed surroundings.

"Where's that prick?" She growled, "Where did he go?"

"You were gonna kill them." He explained, "I had to put you in your pokeball."

Solstice sighed and leaned against the railing along the edge of the ship.

"How long was I in there for?"

"Just a minute."

"I still think we should have put him in his place." Alex crossed her arms.

"I don't want to be kicked out of the competition because we killed someone."

"We could have thrown him overboard." Solstice suggested, "Ya know, on accident."

She made her fingers into sarcastic finger quotations.

"You'll have plenty of time to kick their ass in the fight."

"Fair enough." She shrugged.

"Speaking of which, we should probably go get signed in, we only have little more than an hour before we have to fight."

"I'll leave you two to go do that." Alex said, "Meanwhile, I'll find a way to get into the arena without paying."

"Sounds like a plan."

"I'm thinking vents..." She wandered off, looking for potential points of entry.

"Five bucks says she gets caught trying to sneak in." Solstice smirked, holding out her hand.

"You're on." He shook her paw.

•••

"I.C. Wiener, here for the finals." Michael handed his trainer card to the woman behind the desk in the arena lobby. She took it and swiped it through a small device, which quickly displayed his information.

"I'm sorry, but this is Michael Vallaham's card." she gave it back to him.

"No, that is me." He held the picture on the card next to his face in comparison, "I.C Wiener is my...nickname"

"Oh, okay." She awkwardly plugged something into the computer.

"Here you go, Mr. Wiener." She smiled, "You'll be in prep room 3, just down the hallway. Your match will begin in 30 minutes.

"Thanks." He smiled and accepted his trainer card once again. He walked away from the desk and joined Solstice at the vending machines. She slammed her fist into the glass screen.

"Why can't I find a goddamn vending machine that'll just give me a bag of BBQ chips?! This ship wants me to suffer."

She kicked the machine again.

Michael reached for the keypad, pressed the enter button and watched the bag of chips fall from their rack. Solstice stood silently for a moment, realizing that she hadn't pressed enter.

"Shut up" She bent down and grabbed the snack from the small compartment.

Tearing it open, she threw a few chips into her mouth.

"C'mon, we're in prep room 4" He grabbed a chip from the bag, "Our round is in 30 minutes."

They began walking down a long hallway lined with doors,

_1...2...3...4_

"This is it." He opened the door to see Alex hanging out of a large vent on the wall.

"Alex?! What the hell are you doing?" Solstice asked, stepping into the room.

"Shhh!" She snapped, nodding to the door, "They'll hear you."

"Why are you in our prep room?"

"I'm trying to sneak into the arena without paying. That shit is fifty bucks." She started climbing to the vent again, "Besides, you guys are in prep room 3."

"How do you know that?" Michael called into the suddenly empty vent entrance. No response.

"What the he-"

Alex appeared again, quickly grabbing the vent's cover, "Nearly forgot this, can't leave any evidence. You know how it is."

She pulled the cover over the entrance and disappeared into the darkness again, somehow without making any noise.

Solstice and Michael stood dumbfounded, staring at the vent.

"What the hell."

"Yeah..."

"C'mon, I guess we're in prep room 3." Solstice shrugged, leaving the room. The duo walked to the next door, bearing a silver "3" on it. Solstice opened the door and walked into a room identical to the other. A featureless dummy stood in the corner. Two benches and a blank chalkboard lined the edges of the room. Poorly-erased plans and tactics remained on the small blackboard.

"No chalk." Michael sighed, examining it. A small piece of white chalk suddenly fell out of the vent on the roof. Solstice picked it up and tried to looking into the vent.

"Alex?" She asked quietly, "Is that you?"

She shrugged at the lack of response and gave the chalk to Michael.

"Draw a picture while I practice on this dummy." She laughed, "Think you can handle that?"

"I dunno but I'll sure as hell try." he began putting his poor art skills to use, "Think you're ready for this?"

"The drawing or the fight?"

"Fight."

"I sure as hell hope so. Alex said admission was fifty bucks, so it's gotta be big."

"I saw a few posters around the ship with the faces of the contestants and their pokemon."

"Did you see ours?" Solstice asked, slamming her fist into the dummy's chest. She waited for it to bounce back and jabbed at it again, nearly knocking it over.

"Yeah, it was outside of the pokémart."

"Did we look good?"

"Well they used a pretty good photo of me that someone took when we stopped that criminal in Sulreef."

"And what about me?" She asked, taking a quick break.

"They just photoshopped some random typhlosion into the picture."

"Some random typhlosion?" She went to punch the dummy again but hesitated at what he said, "How did you know it wasn't me?"

"Well the typhlosion had brown eyes when you have blue, and the fur on the back of it's paws hadn't been mostly scratched off." He explained, gesturing to her paw, "What's makes you think I wouldn't be able to tell my girlfriend from a typhlosion?". He returned to drawing on the chalkboard. Solstice thought about the remark for a few moments.

_From a typhlosion...huh..._

She returned to punching the dummy, now noticing the lack of fur on the back of her paw each time her arm extended. They went a few minutes without talking, each deep in their thoughts until Michael spoke up.

"Aaaand, done!" He took a step back from the chalkboard to a reveal a crudely drawn picture of them. They held a bag of money and stood on a poorly-proportioned cruise ship. Solstice stared at it for a few seconds in silence.

"It's no Picasso but c'mon, it at least deserves a good job."

"Good job."

Michael rolled his eyes, accepting his inability to draw.

Their conversation was interrupted when someone knocked at the door. A woman in a suit opened it and stepped inside, "You'll be fighting in five minutes, please follow me to the arena."

Solstice glanced at Michael and shrugged. They followed her out of the door and down the hallway. They could hear muffled conversations between other trainers through the doors lining the seemingly endless hallway. A loud explosion came from behind them, blowing a door off of it's hinges. A trainer hesitantly stepped outside and looked around. He turned and ran down the hallway, a Voltorb quickly following behind him.

"Don't worry about that, it happens all the time" The woman smiled and continued leading them down the hall. Eventually they turned a corner and stood facing what looked like a pair of small elevators.

The woman quickly checked a slip of paper to confirm Michael's name.

"Mr. Wiener, you'll be taken up to the arena and your pokemon will follow shortly. Any questions?"

"Yes, actually. What's the prize for winning this tournament?"

Their escort paused at the queer question, having assumed that they would at least know what the prize was, "twenty thousand dollars."

Solstice and Michael glanced at each other in surprise.

_Woah._

"Now if you'd please step into the elevator." She chimed again, sounding slightly impatient. He watched the doors slide open and took a step inside. He turned as the doors quickly closed behind him, managing to grab a final glimpse of Solstice.

Their escort waited a few seconds, confirming that the elevator took him out of hearing range.

"So when do I go u-" Solstice felt a sharp pain on the back of her head as the woman slammed her fist into it. She was quickly rendered unconscious, laying on the floor. Their escort quickly strapped a thin black collar around her neck, covering it with the typhlosion's fur. Solstice stirred slightly, slowly gaining consciousness. Her assailant quickly dropped to the ground and moaned quietly.

"What the hell happened?" Solstice asked, cringing as a sharp pain shot through the back of her head.

"I think someone attacked us from behind, does your head hurt too?" The woman answered, 'struggling' to stand up.

"Yeah..." Solstice answered, standing up, "Did you see who it was?"

"My back was turned." She explained, also standing up, "I guess they ran away."

"Let's hope they don't come back, I'd hate to be kicked out of the contest for murdering someone."

"Well, Solstice, if you'd please step into the elevator. I'll call security in the meantime and see to it that they our assailants are brought to justice."

She obeyed, pausing for a second once inside, "How did you know my name?"

The elevator door slammed shut and immediately began moving. After a few seconds of silence, the muted applause and cheers of what sounded like every passenger on board grew louder.

_I've got a bad feeling about this..._

•••

The sudden blast of light and sound nearly stunned Michael as the elevator reached the arena floor. His senses quickly adjusted, revealing a very large, and rowdy, audience, all screaming and cheering for the new addition to the arena. The muffled humming of an engine indicated that Solstice wasn't far from joining him. His eyes fell upon their opponent as he scanned the spacious arena. Matt waved, as did his-

_Dragonite?!_

Michael glanced along the arena wall, his eyes landing on a group of other competitors sitting on a bench, waiting for their own fight.

_I guess we're up first..._

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the finals of the Seastride International Pokemon Tournament!" A familiar voice called, predictably being answered with another uproar of excitement, echoing off of the arena's towering walls and roof.

"On our right, we have I.C. We-" He hesitated, quickly rereading a slip of paper, "Michael Vallaham!"

Michael stood a little straighter than usual as the crowd redirected their barrage of admiration and cheers to him. He felt a tightness in his chest as his anticipation began to feel as overwhelming as the spectators

"And his partner, Solstice!" He added, almost perfectly timing it with her elevator's arrival to the arena. She also cringed as the sudden change of atmosphere, desperately to adapt to it as quickly as possible. She turned and saw Michael.

"And his opponent will be Matt!"

_Does this guy even have a last name?_

Solstice ran over to Michael, "Something's up."

"What do you mean?"

"Our escort and I got attacked,"

"What?" He nearly yelled, struggling to combat the audience's affection for their opponent, "By who?"

"I don't know, but the escort knew my name!"

"Isn't it her job to?" He replied, "Quickly, get back over your elevator before we get disqualified or something."

She did, carefully positioning herself in the middle of the almost undistinguishable lines of the elevator that had retracted into the floor. She turned to their opponent, trying to size them up one last time.

_A Dragonite?!_

She glanced back at Michael, who nodded in acknowledgement of Matt's unpredictable choice of pokemon.

"Trainers, are you and your partner ready?"

Michael glanced at his partner, in both senses, to deem her battle-ready.

He gave the announcer a thumbs up, as did Matt.

"Very well, you may begin when the buzzer sounds.

The sea of spectators lowered their volume to an almost inaudible level, raising the tension. A seemingly endless series of beeps sounded, each painfully slower than the last. The butterfly's in his stomach went into overdrive, bringing the momentary worry of puking to his mind. He quickly dismissed the thought as an ear piercing buzzer rang into the arena, shattering the tension and making the duo's hearts jump.

"Solstice! Fire blast!" Michael yelled, the tightness in his chest disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. Solstice narrowed her eyes, and began sprinting towards the motionless Dragonite. Matt simply stood still and watched the typhlosion approach his pokemon. Solstice leapt into the air, a ring of fire growing around her. Matt snapped his fingers, signaling his Dragonite to lunge at the typhlosion and slam it's head into her stomach. The fire from Solstice's interrupted attack sprayed in all directions, slightly burning the Dragonite. Solstice gained her balance and landed on the ground with ease, as did her opponent. Both pokemon struggled to tune out the screaming of the spectators.

"Solstice! Hit it wi-"

"Hyper beam!" Matt commanded. The dragon pokemon lifted itself into the air with it's small wings. A white sphere began forming in it's mouth, seconds away from firing.

Solstice began launched a stream of fire in the airborne pokemon's direction, hoping to strike it before it could use the powerful move. It quickly responded to the counter attack by releasing the premature hyper beam. The attacks collided in an explosion of fire and smoke, engulfing both pokemon. Smoke filled Solstice's vision and lungs, making her cough and cover her eyes. She heard the Dragonite doing the same. The smoke cleared, leaving the dragonite and Solstice ready to continue the fight. Matt's pokemon had been burned by the explosion, some it's scales had been damaged and bore black streaks. It flew at Solstice, trying to headbutt her into the wall once again at the snap of Matt's fingers.

"Solstice! Move!" He yelled. The typhlosion dove to her right, the dragonite's claws barely grazing her arm.

"Lava plume!"

Solstice spun around, her back facing the momentarily dazed pokemon. After a second of silence, a tower of lava was arched into the air from her back. It splashed across the Dragonite's back, forcing it into the ground. The lava cleared, allowing the dragon pokemon to stand.

"Dragonite! Use thunder punch!" Matt demanded, realizing that the fight would take more than a snap of his fingers. A blur of sparks poured from it's clenched fist as it began flapping it's wings again.

A large black collar suddenly latched onto the Dragonite's neck.

"What the hell is this?!" Matt yelled. His pokemon abandoned it's previously issued attack and began clawing at the metal collar. A bright green light lit up on it, forcing the Dragonite to stop and fall limp.

"Dragonite?! What the hell are you playing at?!" He yelled at Michael, suspecting him of cheating.

_Oh shit._

"Hello! And welcome to the S.S. Seastride's International Pokemon Tournament!" A familiar voice boomed throughout the arena from it's large speakers. The confused audience and competitors turned to the Judge's box, seeing the source of the voice. A tall woman in a suit stood in the Judge's place.

"Don't worry, the real judge is safe," She gestured to the old man, bound to a chair by rope. Frantic talking erupted from the spectators, none of them sure what was happening.

"I'm Helen, the leader of Team Blackout!" She announced, only giving the confused crowd more answers than questions, "We wish to free pokemon from the abusive clutches of these pokemon trainers." She glanced at Michael for a brief second. Solstice slowly made her way to him, trying not to draw attention to herself.

"That's the woman from Sulreef City" She noted.

"Are you serious? But we saw get taken away by the police."

Solstice shrugged. Many of the passengers began dialing numbers on their cell phones and pokégears, trying to reach help.

"Those won't do you any good, we've disabled your electronics as of...now."

The familiar 'power down' chiptune chimed through the arena as every cell phone and Pokégear powered down simultaneously. People began panicking and standing up, trying to leave as quickly as they could.

"What's the rush?" She smiled, pulling out a small box covered with various switches and buttons. She pressed one, sending a deafening noise into the mic. Michael cringed at the ear-piercing sound, making him fall the ground in pain. His head pounded in agony. He managed to get a glimpse of the other passengers. Many had joined him on the floor, each covering their ears. Solstice did the same, the sound being twice as painful due to her sensitive ears. The noise stopped, letting everyone stand up slowly, each afraid that it may return. The pokemon trainers leapt up from the bench after recovering, each releasing their pokemon. When the blur of red flashes disappeared, a variety of pokemon stood in it's place, ranging from a lucario to a staraptor.

"Staraptor! Stop her!" A woman commanded, sending her large avian pokemon into the air. Before it could get close to the Judge's box, another thick collar flew in it's direction and latched onto it's neck. A green light lit up on the device, rendering it unable to fly. The pokemon fell from the air and spiraled towards the ground. It slammed into the arena floor and laid motionless. It's trainer ran towards her potentially unconscious pokemon.

"Staraptor," The leader of Blackout began, "stop her."

The avian pokemon leapt from it's catatonic state and flew towards it's trainer, preparing for an aerial ace attack.

"Ampharos! Lightning bolt!" Another trainer yelled. His electric pokemon launched a bolt of electricity towards the staraptor. Sparks erupted in all directions as the attack connected, enclosing the avian pokemon in a cloud of smoke. A few passengers cheered for the counter attack, many still afraid to make any sudden moves that may attract attention. After a second of silence, the staraptor appeared again, still flying towards it's trainer. The woman began running in an attempt to avoid the potentially fatal attack. Solstice began sprinting towards the black bird and tackled it out of the air.

"Solstice!" Michael yelled, shocked at her abrupt action. The typhlosion's unexpected move grabbed Helen's attention. Solstice launched a quick series of fire and physical attacks, hoping that one of them would break the collar. With a final swipe, it shattered into a few pieces. The staraptor remained motionless for a moment. Solstice prepared another attack in case the collar's effects remained. The avian pokemon pushed Solstice to the ground and flew towards Helen. More passengers cheered for the victory, hoping that the staraptor would prevent her from using the deafening noise again and allow them to escape. Helen simply shook her head as another black collar attached itself to the pokemon's neck, sending to spiraling towards the ground. Her trainer was filled with sickening sense of déjà vu as her pokemon slammed into the floor for a second time. Solstice stood up and gained her balance, having exhausted herself from breaking the metal collar.

"Looks like you'll pose a problem after all." Helen smiled, pressing a button on her device. A cloud of black collars was launched into the air from the behind Team Blackout's leader. Each one flew towards one of the competitor's pokemon. The lucario was the first to react, trying to knock some out of the air with various attacks. Solstice managed to successfully destroy some before they could reach their targets, only to be replaced with another. The other pokemon joined in to no avail. Within seconds, they bore thick metal collars. Mimicking the Dragonite's reaction, they began clawing and attacking them. With a synchronized beep and green light, they were under Team Blackout's control. Solstice remained the only pokemon in the arena without a collar. The typhlosion gave Michael a worried look, unsure as to why she wasn't a target.

_That can't be good._

The pokemon trainers began trying to pry the collars off of their pokemon to no success.

"Does anyone else have a pokemon that they'd like to give us?" Helen asked, looking around the panicking sea of spectators, "No? Block off the doors. Stop anyone who tries to enter." She commanded, "Some of you make sure that the passengers don't try anything they'll regret."

The group of pokemon pushed their trainers aside, some of them stood in front of the many entrances into the arena, the others began intently watching the sea of scared hostages.

"I couldn't have asked for a more convenient opportunity to do this. Every passenger on this shop gathered in one place, nobody on the outside to help you." Helen confessed, "Staraptor, bring me a Pokégear.". The pokemon took to the air and flew over the passengers, trying to locate one. After a moment, it swooped down and snatched the device from someone in the crowd, causing nearby people to cower and back away. The Pokégear was soon in Helen's hand. A moment of silence passed as she typed something in.

"Hello, this is Mr. Rosevelt, CEO of Misomigi incorporated." a voice answered. After a few button-presses on the Pokégear, his face appeared on one of the jumbotrons for the whole arena to see. He was a middle-aged man with black hair and a mustache. Desperate whispers among the hostage-held crowd reached Michael's ears, revealing that Misomigi Inc. not only owned the largest electronic company in the world, but also the cruise line.

"Hi, this is Helen, I have a favor to ask of you." She replied into the Pokégear.

"And what might that be?" He questioned, clearly thrown off by the unexpected request.

"I'd like complete control over every television set, radio, and jumbotron your company owns."

"And what exactly does a young lady like you want that for?" He asked jokingly, assuming that this was a prank call of sorts.

"I have a message for the general public. An important one." She explained seriously.

"And what would I get in return?" He laughed.

"I won't kill every passenger onboard the S.S. Seastride." She replied, sending a wave of panic through the arena once again. The CEO's smile was instantly wiped from his face at the threat.

"That's a very serious threat, young lady."

"I've been told that I'm a very serious person," She retorted, a slight annoyance creeping into her voice as the conversation continued going nowhere.

"We've commandeered your poor excuse for a cruise ship and are currently holding an audience of over 700 hostage."

"Do you really expect me to bel-" He began, before being interrupted by the entrance of someone into his office. After a quick exchange of whispered words between the CEO and another person in a suit, he turned to the device again.

"Very well, it appears that you are telling the truth." He sighed, "What do you want?"

"I've already told you, unrestricted access to every electronic device your company has ever sold."

"And in return, you'll release the passengers unharmed?" He clarified.

"Completely." She reassured him, wearing a grand, fake smile.

"We're sending boats to escort them safely off of the ship." He typed something into a computer on his desk, "There, you now have access. It's not too late to stop. You don't have to do this."

"Duly noted." Helen closed the call. Michael glanced at Solstice, who simply shrugged. She made quick gestures with her hands, resembling what Michael assumed was a fire attack. He shook his head, not wanting her to draw attention to herself and end up like the other pokemon.

"I hope you're ready for your cameo, Solstice, because I require your help." Team Blackout's leader turned to the typhlosion.

"Go to hell."

"Disappointing and predictable." She sighed, "Tell you what, if you help me, I'll ensure you a place in the higher ranks of Team Blackout when we free pokemon from their trainers. Maybe Vice President. You want that, don't you? To be more than just a wild pokemon?"

Solstice cringed but stood her ground, "What makes you think people will listen to a psychopath like you anyway?."

"Oh they won't. That's where you come in." Helen explained, "They wouldn't listen to someone like me, but they will listen to a pokemon. Hearing how awful it is being a trainer's pokemon _from_ a pokemon, their hearts will break. They'll stop buying pokemon trainer equipment and overthrow the elite four, along with every pokemon trainer they see, leaving Team Blackout as their leaders, their visionaries.

"And what if I don't think it's awful?"

"That's irrelevant. Just say it and Vice President is yours."

Solstice stood silently for a moment. Michael turned to the typhlosion, waiting for her to tell Helen to go to hell. After a moment of motionlessly staring at the floor, Solstice looked up at Team Blackout's leader.

"Fine. I'll do it." She answered sternly, all emotion leaving her voice.

"What?!" Michael yelled, along with the confused and angry crowd of passengers. Helen smirked and turned to the Staraptor perching near the Judge's box, "Bring her to me."

The large bird pokemon flew down towards the typhlosion and grabbed her shoulders in it's talons. Solstice was whisked from the floor and dropped next to Helen.

"I knew you'd come around." She smiled, placing her arm around the oddly unresponsive pokemon. Helen activated the Pokégear again, her face appearing on the arena's jumbotron.

"Show time."

•••

"Say cheese!" Erik called to his wife and daughter. After a moment of adjusting the camera, he was able to fit the the largest building in Castelia City into the frame, along with his family.

"Cheese!" They said in unison, posing for the picture.

"Aaaand, got it!" he smiled, "so where to next?"

"I don't know, this place is so big and overwhelming." Sophie replied, leaning on her husband's shoulder.

"Oh come on! We didn't come all the way to the busiest city in the world just to take a picture, let's go to t-" He began to say, before being cut off by a loud buzzing sound echoing across the entire city. The entire city halted as every screen, billboard and radio resonated. Confused discussion erupted around the family, nearly every person in the city walked out of the nearby buildings to look for the source of the electronic disruption. A fuzzy and blurred picture of a woman and a typhlosion began coming into view on the screens that lined the buildings, their usual advertisements disappearing. Mentions of a terrorist attack spread through the crowds. After a few seconds, the buzzing faded as the woman and the pokemon came into clear view.

"Daddy, who is that?"

"I don't know, sweetie." He replied, briefly crouching next to his daughter, "Just stay near mommy and daddy. We'll figure it out."

The confused and worried crowd only grew as the entire population of Castelia City poured into the streets. A nearby woman approached Erik, "Excuse, but do you know who that is on screen?"

"I'm afraid not, but it looks like we're about to find out." He gestured to a nearby television screen.

"Hello, citizens." The woman greeted everyone in a stern and loud voice, making many people jump in surprise. The noisy crowd was quickly silenced at the sentence as it echoed off of the tall buildings, "My name is Helen. I am the leader of Team Blackout."

The crowded streets erupted in questions and confusion once again.

"Honey, who's Team Blackout?" Erik asked his wife, struggling to speak over the commotion. Sophie shrugged and returned her focus to the large screen. Helen cleared her throat.

"Pokemon are apart of our every day lives. We utilize them whenever we can for our own benefit." She began, "For centuries, we have abused these creatures, forcing them to work and fight for us. Well no longer. Team Blackout is dedicated to freeing pokemon from the abusive clutches of these so called pokemon trainers. I wish for a world where humans and pokemon may truly live in harmony, real harmony. Not the false friendship between a pokemon and their masters."

Mixed reactions spread through the crowd at an alarming rate. Some agreed with her, others called her insane.

"Daddy, is that true? Do we abuse pokemon?"

"Of course not honey, this person is just being...silly."

He held his daughter close to him, In case things got out of hand.

"I know that there are those of you that will protect your relationship with your pokemon. But ask yourself, have you ever stopped to wonder if it's what your pokemon wants."

Helen turned to Solstice for a moment, "Take Solaris, here. She used to be victim to a sick pokemon trainer that forced her into a being in a disgusting relationship with him. Help stop monstrosities like thi-"

The typhlosion suddenly slammed it's fist into the side of the woman's head, knocking her off screen. It quickly reached towards the Pokégear and turned it off. The hundreds of screens instantly returned to their normal advertisements. The crowd erupted into a sea of confusion. Many people began arguing as to whether it was real or not and whether the woman's was right about pokemon and their trainers.

"Erik, what was that about?" Sophie said frantically.

"I don't know, honey." He looked around for a way to get off of the streets and somewhere safe, "I don't know."

•••

Helen barely grasped onto the railing of the Judge's box, still feeling dumbfounded after the unexpected attack. Many passengers in the audience cheered for Solstice as the typhlosion approached the edge.

_Solstice?!_

"I command you to lift me up!" Helen yelled, expecting the hidden collar to take effect.

"Go to hell." Solstice kicked her hands off of the railing, sending her plummeting towards the arena floor.

"Starapt-" She slammed into the ground before she could yell the pokemon's name. She lay motionlessly for a few seconds. The crowd stood in silence, unsure if she was still able to stop them escaping. She slowly pushed herself into a crouching position, moaning in agony. Helen managed to stand up, barely keeping her balance. Her arm had broken in multiple places, having taken most of the impact.

Solstice hopped down, steadily landing on her feet next to the weak woman.

"How?!" She yelled at the typhlosion, barely able to maintain her balance, still dazed from the large fall.

"While you were talking to Rosevelt, I found this little bastard" Solstice revealed a thin metal collar in her paw. Michael smiled, relieved that she was just acting the whole time.

"Pokemon!" Helen yelled to the still collared pokemon, that had remained motionless until now, "Kill he-"

A loud banging noise echoed through the arena, grabbing everyone's attention. After a moment of silence, a large metal vent cover fell from the ceiling, and crashed into the floor with a loud crash. Two long black ropes shortly followed it. A figure dressed in black slid down it and landed in the middle or the arena.

_Alex?!_

"What's going on?" Alex asked, taking her balaclava off and looking around at the hundreds of confused passengers that stared back at her. Her poliwraith quickly descended down the rope, joining it's trainer. After a brief analysis of the situation, Alex and her poliwraith made a sprint for the nearest door not taking into account the Dragonite that stood in front of it.

"Dragonite! Stop her!" Helen yelled, her broken arm preventing her from pointing at the intruder. The dragonite quickly launched a stream of fire in their direction. Both evaded it with a lunge to the side.

"Poliwraith! Hydro pump!" Alex yelled, her pokemon quickly nodding in acknowledgment. The water pokemon released a funnel of water in the dragon's direction, knocking it into a wall and away from the glass doors that opened onto the deck. The duo saw the gap they had created and sprinted for the it. They ran past the stunned dragonite. Helen yelled a few words of profanity at the escape.

•••

Alex spun around a corner, her poliwraith quickly following behind. She crouched and hid behind a bar counter top at the sight of a Team Blackout member. The man wore a black uniform bearing a predictable B on it, likely a grunt of sorts. He walked around the deck idly waiting for Helen to give him orders, not aware that their plan was backfiring in the nearby arena. Alex looked around the abandoned deck, making sure the grunt was alone. She grabbed an empty bottle from behind the bar. The Blackout member continued walking in the duo's direction, putting them at risk of being caught. Alex quickly leapt from behind the cover and smashed the bottle over his head, rendering him unconscious. He collapsed onto the deck in a heap.

_That was easy._

She began looking around the surrounding deck for any threats and a way of reaching help. She picked a small handbag and emptied it's contents. Various travel supplies spilled onto the table. She sighed at the lack of cellphone I Pokégear. Her poliwraith quickly joined the hunt an began rooting through every bag, backpack and wallet it could find. After a minute of searching, the pokemon reached into a purse on a nearby table, found a small cellphone and tossed it to Alex.

"Nice one." She caught the cellphone.

_Let's hope this thing works..._

She pressed the 'on' button and was greeted with a cheerful series of notes.

"Yes!" Alex cheered. After a moment of figuring out how to operate it, she held the phone to her ear, "Time to call in a few favors."

"Hello? Is this the Kanto National Guard?"

•••

"No matter." Helen sighed, watching the glass doors slide shut again, "She'll run into one of the patrols sooner or later."

She cringed as the damage from her fall momentarily caught up with her.

"Now where were we?" She turned to Solstice, "You've interrupted my plans for the last time. Staraptor, kill her."

The large black pokemon flew out of seemingly nowhere and tackled the typhlosion to the ground. Solstice's head was slammed into the floor from the unexpected attack. The weight of the flying pokemon held her down.

"Solstice!" Michael yelled wishing he had the strength to help her.

The staraptor began violently slashing Solstice with it's talons, leaving thin gashes across her body. Michael joined the other passengers in watching the pokemon be torn apart, wishing they could do something. Solstice squirmed around, trying to loosen the bird pokemon's grip to no avail. A few more relentless swipes across her chest splashed streaks of blood on the arena floor. Michael ran towards the staraptor, preparing to try and tackle it off of Solstice.

"Lucario, stop him." Helen commanded, all previous traces of professionalism leaving her voice. The lucario quickly launched an aura sphere towards Michael. As the attack connected, he was knocked onto his back. Pain shot through his body, preventing him from standing back up. He turned his head and watched helpless as the Staraptor attacked his partner.

The flying pokemon rose it's wing as it began to glow, preparing to stop Solstice's thrashing. A large white beam suddenly flew towards it. The glowing beam connected with the typhlosion's attacker, launching it off of Solstice and into the air. It slammed into the arena floor for the third and final time and laid motionless. The entire arena turned towards the source of the attack. Matt's dragonite stood on the other side of the arena, holding it's shattered collar.

"What?!" Helen yelled.

"Dragonite!" Matt cheered, running towards his pokemon. The large dragon pokemon picked him up and threw the trainer onto it's back.

Helen, low on collars and tired of her plans back firing, turned to the pokemon that remained under her control.

"Kill hi-"

The distant thumping of helicopter blades interupted her. Everyone looked up, searching for the source of the noise.

"Nobody leaves this are-"

A loud explosion from the roof sent debris crashing around Helen. Dust flew into the air, sending her into a fit of coughing. Thick black ropes fell from above, carrying various men in black uniforms bearing 'K.N.G.'

"What the hell is this?!" Helen coughed. One of the men grabbed her arm and pushed her to the ground. Another locked a pair of handcuffs onto her wrists.

"Pokemon! Kill them! Kill them all!" Helen screamed desperately. Before the collared pokemon could react, more members of the Kanto National Guard burst through the arena's entrances, wielding dart guns. A barrage of tranquilizers rendered the pokemon unable to move. Their collars were quickly pried off by various other people in uniforms. The previously hostage-held passengers cheered for the defeat of Team Blackout. Michael felt the pain from the lucario's attack begin to fade, allowing him to stand. He ran to Solstice and crouched next to her. She lay in a small puddle of blood. Her body was marked with a series of deep gashes from the Staraptor's talons.

_C'mon. Wake up._

Many of the passengers turned their attention to him, having forgotten about the potentially dead pokemon. He desperately shook her body, trying to get some kind of response from the pokemon.

"Mike," Matt called from behind him. Michael turned around and saw Matt standing next to his dragonite. Matt threw a small yellow diamond at him. Michael caught it and realized what it was.

_A revive...I hope this works._

He placed the medicine in Solstice's mouth and forced her to swallow it. She remained motionless, draining Michael of all hope. The arena sat in silence, save for the K.N.G restraining Helen. She began laughing, watching Michael hopelessly try to wake the typhlosion up. He ignored her and continued shaking her body, refusing to accept that she was dead.

"Mike." Matt tried to get his attention, "MIKE."

Michael turned to him. Tears began streaking down his face.

"I think she's gon-"

Solstice abruptly gasped for air, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Solstice!" Michael yelled. He hugged her, disregarding the blood.

"H-hey." She stuttered. The crowd erupted in cheers. Michael tightened his hug, "Ease up, d-dude. Still bleeding h-here."

Michael loosened his grip but still held on.

"NO!" Helen screamed. She quickly shook herself free of her restrainer's grip and ran towards Michael and Solstice. She threw her handcuffs to the floor, and pulled something out of her suit's pocket. She slammed her fist into Michael's head, knocking him away from the typhlosion. Helen quickly raised her arm, holding the object. Before Solstice could identify it as a syringe, the needle was thrust into her arm. She gave a sickening yell as a liquid was injected into her bloodstream. A soldier seized Helen once again, placing her wrists in a thick collar of sorts. Michael returned to Solstice and pulled the syringe from her arm.

"Jump overboard!" Hellen yelled, "I command you to jump overboard!"

The soldier quickly covered her mouth and dragged her out of the arena. Solstice began shaking as the syringe's contents took effect.

_Oh shit._

She stopped shaking, pushed Michael aside and stood up, ignoring her injuries. Blood that had pooled underneath of her dripped off of her fur and out of her wounds, leaving a trail.

"Solstice, stop!" Michael yelled, trying to physically stop her. She merely pushed him aside once again, determined to follow through with her orders. A few soldiers approached her with various restraints. Solstice turned to them and launched stream of fire in their direction. They barely managed to evade the attack. The typhlosion continued walking towards the exit.

"Someone stop her!" Michael yelled, looking to the K.N.G. for help. The arena fell motionless, watching the pokemon walk towards the glass doors unchallenged.

"Dragonite! Stop her!" Matt commanded. The dragon pokemon lifted itself off of the ground. It flew across the arena and landed between Solstice and the door. Seeing an obstacle, the typhlosion launched a series of fire attacks towards it. The dragonite stubbornly deflected them and stood it's ground.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY." Solstice yelled, her voice sounded shaky and hoarse. The dragon pokemon continued staring down Solstice, also determined to follow through with it's orders. Solstice began sprinting towards it, preparing a fist of fire.

"Don't let her through!" Matt yelled. Solstice's leapt into the air and slammed her fist into the Dragonite's jaw. Fire erupted from the impact, engulfing the pokemon in a cloud of smoke. Matt's dragonite was flung aside, nearly crushing a few trainers. Solstice appeared from the smoke, unharmed. She regained her balance and continued towards the exit. Realizing that he was running out of options, Michael quickly placed himself between Solstice and the door, which she had nearly reached.

"Solstice. Stop." He said sternly, half expecting her to obey, "Please. I can't lose you. Not again."

Solstice stood in front of Michael, and stopped. She began shaking slightly.

"You have to fight it." He said, "Please."

Solstice started shaking violently and began muttering Michael's name.

"Yes, that's it!" He exclaimed. The other passengers watched intently, silently cheering her on.

The typhlosion suddenly stopped shaking and stood motionless in front of Michael.

"Mike." she whispered, staring through him.

"Yes?" He asked, relieved at her recovery.

"I'm sorry."

"What?" he asked, all hope fleeing from his body, "No!"

Solstice pushed him aside, beginning her march again. The large glass doors slid open for her. A warm breeze blew into the room. The sound of crashing waves and various flying pokemon indicated that the doors opened to the edge of the ship. Solstice walked to the railing and climbed on top of it.

"Solstice sto-!"

Solstice leaned forward and fell limply over the edge. Michael ran to the railing and leaned over. He watched as her body plummeted lifelessly towards the waves that crashed against the ship. She hit the water with a large splash, her body quickly disappearing under the ocean's waves.

_Solstice..._

•••

Solstice gasped for air as she regained consciousness. Her face stung as wind violently whipped it. She quickly tried to grasp the situation, her last memory involving being stabbed with a syringe. It wasn't until she saw the massive letter "A" in "S.S. Seastride" that Solstice realized that she had fallen overboard. She looked down and saw giant white waves rushing up to greet her. Solstice glanced upwards, hoping to see a form of rescue. She only saw the tiny head of Michael, staring down at her. After another second of falling, stinging winds and trying to understand the situation, the typhlosion was engulfed in water. Pain shot through her entire body as the water instantly extinguished her back flames.

"Mich-" she tried to call for help, only to inhale sea-water. Solstice's entire body started numbing to counter the pain. Her flailing began to cease. She stubbornly continued trying to to swim in the direction she assumed was up. Having never been a strong swimming, or even a weak one at that, she only sunk further down. Another spike of pain shot through her head like a bullet as it was slammed into the hull of the ship, the numbness proving useful for something. Her eyes stung as she tried looking around for a way to surface.

"Michael..." She tried to call again, feeling herself sink deeper.

Black rings started forming around her vision, indicating imminent unconsciousness or death.

_Michael..._

•

••

•••

The redundant beeping of an ECG machine came to Solstice's ears. She opened her eyes as quickly as her fatigue would allow her. Various medical equipment that surrounded her bed revealed her location to be a hospital. A dimly glowing screen that monitored her heart rate faintly illuminated the small, white-walled room. A pack of medical blood hung beside her bed. Solstice followed the long plastic tube down to her wrist, where it disappeared under her fur. She resisted the urge to pull it out, having never been one for blood. When she tried to sit up in bed, her stomach was restrained by something. Pulling the thin blanket that covered her aside revealed white bandages wrapped around her chest and stomach. She lifted one up and peered under it, seeing a series of mostly healed wounds. Solstice sighed and re-covered the gashes. She glanced around the room. A clock on the far side of it read '2:30'. Muffled sounds of hospital staff could be heard as they rushed around and discussed their recent medical accomplishments in the hallway.

_How did I get here..._

Memories came flooding back to her like a grim prologue. Solstice's heart sank as she remembered each detail. She rested her head on the bed again, trying to remember anything between being stabbed with a syringe and falling into the ocean. The quiet sound of snoring broke her train of thought. She glanced to the right of her bed and saw Michael sleeping in a large cushioned chair. His face was illuminated by the dim glow of his laptop. Solstice reached for it, being careful not to let the blood transfusion tube fall out. She briefly shuddered at the prospect of someone else's blood spill on her. Once the laptop was in her hands, she placed it on her own lap an glanced at the date,

_Monday?! I've been out...4 days?!_

After taking a moment to accept the date, she began looking for what Michael had been doing before he fell asleep. A green flash in the corner of the screen indicated that multiple websites had been left open.

_Vidtube...Socialbook... ?_

She enlarged the peculiar website.

'Marital Laws and you?'

Solstice continued scrolling down the page, briefly skimming through it. A section had been highlighted by Michael, grabbing her attention.

'Humans may marry a pokemon provided that the following requirements are fufiled:'

The ECG started beeping slightly faster as she read the guidelines, having fufiled all of them. She smiled at the thought,

_Now why was Michael researching this..._

She closed the laptop at the sound of an opening door. Light poured into the room from the hallway as someone entered.

"Pssst," Alex whispered, "Mike. Are you awake?"

"No, but I am." Solstice answered.

"Oh! Sweet!" Alex walked over to the window and opened the blinds. A blinding white light exploded into the room, making Solstice cover her eyes and groan.

"What, did you think it was 2:30 in the morning?" Alex laughed.

"Yes, actually." She gave up trying to protect her eyes and resorted to squinting, "Where are we?"

"The Mayhue Hospital!" She announced proudly, "My family owns it so they let you two stay here until you got better as personally request by yours truly."

"I didn't know your family owned a hospital."

"Twenty to be exact." Alex corrected, "Hey, Michael! Wake up!"

Michael shot up from his seat and frantically looked around the room.

"Solstice! You're awake!" He exclaimed, rushing up to hug her. He quickly restrained himself at the sight of her bandages, "Oh, right."

"Yeah..." she smiled sheepishly. They settled for a kiss instead. Michael sat on the edge of the bed, "How you feeling?"

"I've been better." She gestured to the bandages.

"Right."

"What happened anyway?" She asked, hoping to fill the gap on her memory, "Last I remember, I had fallen overboard."

"Well...not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a long story..." He laughed.

"He's not lying, it's long." Alex chimed in, leaning on a window ledge.

"What happened with the Helen?" She recalled.

"Jail." He answered, "Or prison. One of those."

"And the competition?"

"The Judge declared Matt the winner on a technicality, since his pokemon wasn't...well..." He also gestured to her bandages.

"Oh..." Solstice sighed.

Michael pulled out a small slip of paper. A check.

"But he only wanted the title, so he gave the money to us once we fished you out of the ocean."

"Sweet!" Solstice exclaimed, examining the check.

"Well I hate to break this up," Alex interrupted, "but since you'll be fully healed in a few days and you're able to walk, the hospital's kicking you out for this new patient."

She shrugged, "I think he swallowed a Grimer or something."

"What? But Solsti-"

"It's fine," Solstice interrupted, "I'll be fine."

She poked her stomach, confirming that it didn't hurt. Solstice pulled the bandages off, showing the trio the damage. A series of talon slashes left thick scars on her chest and stomach.

"That looks sweet, nobody'll fuck with you like that." Alex tried to lighten the mood. Solstice did her best to hide them under fur, "C'mon, let's get you two down the lobby."

Michael helped Solstice out of bed. She quickly regained her sense of balance and stretched her muscles.

"Let's go."

•••

"This lobby is really...fancy." Solstice noted, looking a the large room. Couches and cushioned seats were scattered around the room in groups, many of which surrounding a coffee table. Gurneys were at the ready, next to the bar.

"This place has a bar?" Michael asked, having missed it on his way in, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Did you see the state you were in when you first got here with Sol?" She laughed, "You would have emptied out our entire stock of soda and scotch."

Michael blushed at the comment, "Yeah I guess you've got a point there."

Solstice tried imagining how he would have looked, having seen him the last time he thought she had died. A pair of sliding glass doors opened to the front of the Hospital.

"Well." Alex said, "This is it."

"Yeah.."

"I guess so."

The trio stood in silence, not sure how to proceed from here.

"Oh!" Alex added. Michael and Solstice sighed, relieved to have a reason to stay.

"Here's my number!" She handed Michael a slip of paper. "Give me a call if you two ever want to hang out or have a pokemon battle or go on another cruise together."

"We will" Solstice smiled. She began flagging down a cab. Alex turned and headed back inside the Hospital.

"So." Michael said, putting his arm around Solstice's shoulders, "We have twenty thousand dollars. Where do you want to go?"

Solstice pondered the question for a moment. A taxi slowed to a stop in front of them. Solstice opened the door and climbed inside. Michael quickly joined her.

"Where to?" The driver asked. Michael turned to Solstice, wondering the same thing.

"The airport." Solstice smiled.

"I heard Hoenn is beautiful this time of year."

The end.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

And that concludes my obscurely named story "Hook, Line and Sinker". I sincerely apologize for the ridiculously long delay! I hope you enjoyed it regardless! I had a lot of fun writing this series and plan to write more stories in the future. Let me know if you'd like another like this one or something different! I have a few MLP fan fictions that I'd like to write so I that tickles your fancy, let me know!

Thanks again to everyone that put up with my crap long enough to finish my first fan fiction!

Stay tuned for my next story, and as always, all reviews are appreciated!

-Stripedblur


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